HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



BY 



•"DOCTOR,, FRANK," 

Author of "A Household Guide in Health and Disease 
"Health in Our Homes," Etc. 






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BOSTON: 

THAYER PUBLISHING COMPANY. 

1887. 






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Copyright, 1887, 
By Thayer Publishing Company. 



Electrotyped by J. S. Ctishing & Co., Boston. 



PREFACE. 



The fact is undeniable that two-thirds of the cases 
of illness among young children might be prevented 
if those responsible for their welfare would only 
obey the simple laws of nature, and in their manage- 
ment display a reasonable amount of common sense. 
Realizing, after years of practice, as all other physi- 
cians do, that the appalling waste of life is, clearly 
due to preventable causes, and that the great major- 
ity of children who have died might have been saved 
had proper care been given them and reasonable 
precaution been taken by their parents, the writer 
has felt that there was no field in which he could 
labor with the promise of better results than this 
he has entered. In the simplest language possible, 
on the following pages, he puts before the reader 
the important essentials in the care and management 
of children. Those points especially are dwelt upon, 
on which mothers are most likely to be in doubt, and 
which experience has taught him are the first in 
importance in the prevention of disease. The ardent 
hope is indulged that his series of hints will be found 
instructive and of assistance to mothers in the care 
of their little ones. Author. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Chapter I i 

Mortality among children. — More than one-third under five years 
die. — The duty of every individual. — Unfortunate conceit of 
older mothers. — Not infrequently dangerous counsellors. — 
The inconsistency of their claims to unusual discernment. — 
The injury which they often do. — Defeating the efforts of 
physicians. — Honest criticism. — Delusions easily acquired 
and with difficulty eradicated. — Young mothers the best 
nurses. — The design of the author. 



Chapter II. 



Infant feeding. — Difficulties attending the discussion of the sub- 
ject. — Inviolate duty of mothers. — Child nourished at the 
breast. — Faults in the mother which grievously affect the 
health of her infant. — Mental disturbances. — Mischievous 
consequences of overfeeding. — Rules to be observed during 
the first six weeks. — No feeding during the night. — Simple 
expedient to save the strength of the mother. — How often to 
nurse the baby. 

Chapter III n 

Infant feeding. — Pernicious habit of many mothers. — Causes of 
crying. — Dangers from too frequent nursing. — Death a com- 
mon consequence. — Injunction not to be disregarded. — 
Colic. — Plan for relief. — Troublesome infants. — Evidences 
of disease. — Substitute for milk. — Thirst. — Importance of 
water. — Cholera infantum. — Persistent vomiting. — Feeding 
with a spoon. — Bottle feeding. — Exceptional cases. — Pe- 
culiarities of some children. 



v i CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



Chapter IV 16 

Infant feeding. — Reasons why some mothers should n6t nurse 
their infants. — Moral and physical defects. — Inheritance. — 
Difficulties in nursing children artificially. — Selection of the 
nursing-bottle. — Convenient but deadly inventions. — One 
cause of infant mortality. — Dangers which cannot be exag- 
gerated. — A familiar sight. — The indifferent mother and her 
wanton methods. — How infants are killed. — A proper nurs- 
ing-bottle. — Simplest apparatus. — Approved form. 

Chapter V . . 22 

Infant feeding. — The nursing-bottle. — Importance of cleanli- 
ness. — How to insure it. — Rubber tips. — Dangers from 
milk turned sour. — The powerful poisons generated in it. — 
Ice-cream and cheese poisoning. — One probable cause of the 
terrible waste of life. — Injunctions to young mothers. — Dan- 
gerous habits to avoid. — Specially prepare each feeding. — 
Warming the milk. — The proper temperature. 

Chapter VI 27 

Infant feeding. — By the bottle. — The operation described. — 
Hints to mothers. — Preparation of food. — The proper quan- 
tity demanded by infants. — The limit of the capacity of the 
stomach. — Changes which are required in the food as age 
advances. — Milk. — The basis of all infants' foods. — The 
popular delusion regarding cows' milk. — Dishonest practice 
of milkmen. 

Chapter VII 32 

Infant feeding. — Adulterated foods. — Milkmen. — Their hard- 
ships. — The spirit of the time. — Fraud everywhere. — Food 
and drug adulterations. — Government protection denied the 
people. — Scoundrels who gain wealth by fraud. — Lust for 
gain killing thousands. — Milkmen's tricks. — Responsibility 
of the purchasers. — They invite adulteration. — Delusions. — 
Milk color. — How it is used. — For what purpose. — Its 
action on the system. 



CONTENTS. vii 

PAGE 

Chapter VIII 38 

Infant feeding. — The milk supply. — Fixing the standard. — 
Needed sanitary enactments. — Official inspection of dairy 
farms. — Reforms which should be instituted. — Unconscious- 
ness of the public to its dangers. — Possible contamination. — 
How milk may become infected. — The ease with which disease 
is transmitted in milk. — Unhealthy state of many dairy farms. 

— How cows should be kept. 

Chapter IX 43 

Infant feeding. — The milk supply. — Feeding of cows. — Improper 
substances used. — Acid milk. — Its effect on the system. — 
Too late milking a grievous custom. — An honest milkman. — 
Rigid enforcement of the laws demanded. — Common faults 
in milkmen. — Faults in consumers. — How milk should be 
kept. — Fresh twice daily for children. — Condensed milk. — 
How it can be advantageously used. 

•Chapter X 49 

Infant feeding. — Milk the basis of all foods. — Goat's milk. — 
How to prepare the infant's food. — The quantity of water. — 
Cream. — Exigencies. — Responsibility of mothers. — When 
to change the baby's diet. — Patented foods for infants. — 
Very little difference between them. — Dangers of indiscrimi- 
nate use. — No food equal the mother's milk. — Precautionary 
hints. 

Chapter XI 54 

Infant feeding. — Policy of the writer. — To do good without 
doing harm. — Mothers generally over-confident. — Many as- 
sume by far too great responsibility. — How disease frequently 
manifests itself. — Symptoms of brain disease. — Diphtheria. 

— Infant life ever in danger. — Send for a physician when 
disease threatens. — The awful consequences of experimental 
treatment and delay. — The terrible mortality, and who is to 
blame for it. 



viii CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Chapter XII 60 

Infant feeding. — Additions to milk sometimes needed. — Indi- 
gestion. — Patented foods. — Objections to their use. — When a 
child does not thrive well on milk. — Death the frequent con- 
sequence of experiment on infants. — A golden rule for 
mothers. — Arrowroot, oatmeal, etc. — When they can be 
used. — How to prepare them. — Barley. — Gruels which are 
allowable if intelligently used. 

Chapter XIII 65 

Infant feeding. — The nutritious and digestible gruels. — Wheat 
flour. — How to prepare it. — The flour-ball. — Barley jelly. — 
Gelatine. — The limits of mothers. — That class which will 
disagree with the writer. — Some of the consequences of their 
methods. — Make no change in the diet while the child is 
doing well. — Good judgment imperative. — Rules to be ob- 
served. — Changes after the first year. 

Chapter XIV. 71 

Infant feeding. — In the second year. — The number of meals 
daily. — The proper hours. — Animal foods. — When broths 
may be allowed. — How prepared. — Vegetable foods. — Diges- 
tible meats. — Precautions to be observed. — Diet after the 
eighth month. — Progressive changes. — When a full diet 
may be allowed. — Important lessons which children must be 
taught. — The child at the table. — Its diet then. 

Chapter XV 77 

Children's diet. — In the third year. — Hints and necessary pre- 
cautions. — Digestibility of various fruits. — Warning against 
sweetmeats. — The dangers from their use. — The conduct of 
some parents sinful in the extreme. — Tea, coffee, and choco- 
late. — Children should never be allowed them. — The atro- 
cious practice of encouraging the use of stimulants. — The 
brain in childhood. — Tendency to disease then exists. — 
Hints to be remembered. 



CONTENTS. i x 



PAGE 



Chapter XVI 82 

Bathing of infants. — Cleanliness an important requisite. — Con- 
sequence of neglect. — Healthful impressions from early prac- 
tices. — The virtues of the different baths discussed. — The 
writer digresses. — A tribute to intelligent mothers. — Ther- 
mometers. — Actually necessary in the nursery. — The tem- 
perature of the infant's bath. — When cold sponging is per- 
missible. — Warm baths must be quickly administered. — 
When to bathe. — The preparations. 

Chapter XVII 87 

Bathing of infants. — Soaps which are forbidden. — Those which 
maybe used. — Washing the head. — Common delusions. — 
Treatment after bathing. — Expedient when a child fears the 
bath. — Toilet powders. — Inexpensive substitutes. — How 
often to bathe. — Only gradual changes in the temperature 
allowable. — Cold sponging. — The hot bath. — Mustard bath. 

— The cooled bath. — Imperative necessity of cleanliness in 
the person of the mother. — Bathing the breasts. 

Chapter XVIII 93 

Clothing and sleep. — The mother's province invaded. — The 
binder. — It should be worn during the first year. — Under- 
clothing. — The proper material. — - Essentials in children's 
clothing. — Night-dress. — Covering of the feet. — Of the head. 

— Dangers from exposure. — Precautions when out of doors. — 
Common faults to be avoided. — Overburdening with clothing. 

— Sleep. — Good habits to encourage. — The amount of sleep 
required during childhood. 

Chapter XIX 99 

Rest and sleep. — Rocking children a hurtful practice. — Impor- 
tant rules to be observed. — How to quiet the baby. — Sleep- 
lessness caused by cold. — An indication of illness. — Sleeping- 
medicines. — Dangers from their use. — Soothing syrup which 



x CONTENTS. 

has killed many. — Paregoric elixir. — Its effects. — When its 
use is permissible. — One occasion for a physician. — Chil- 
dren's sleeping-rooms. — The vital importance of pure air. 

PAGE 

Chapter XX 104 

The sleeping-apartment. — Situation of the crib. — The amount 
of pure air needed by children. — Dangers from overheating 
during sleep. — That cooking-stove. — Sanitary requirements. 

— The furnishings. — Dangers from stationary basins. — 
Proper ventilation too often neglected. — How to secure it. — 
Bed-coverings. — Expedient to prevent children from throwing 
them off. — Death in foul air. — The nursery. — How it should 
be kept. — Vile practices which are common. 

Chapter XXI 109 

Heating and lighting. — Serious consequences of excessive heat. 

— Susceptibility to cold. — How it is invited. — The proper 
temperature. — Danger lurks during the teething period. — 
Peculiar liability to brain disease. — Keep children out of 
the kitchen. — Incautious mothers and sad results. — Burned 
to death. — Lighting the nursery. — Objections to the common 
methods. — Hints on the use of oil and gas. — Electric light. 

Chapter XXII 114 

Open air exercise. — Elderly mothers contrasted with those of 
the present day. — Health depends upon an abundance of pure 
air. — When to take the baby out. — Accustom him to sudden 
changes. — An important duty often neglected. — Out every- 
day if possible. — Protected from cold. — From the sun. — 
Veils forbidden. — Baby carriages. — Their use and abuses. — 
Spinal weakness. — Lasting injury the consequence of neglect. 

— Important rule. 

Chapter XXIII 119 

Holding the baby. — Common faults. — How the happiness of 
home is threatened. — Grievous mismanagement characterize 



CONTENTS. xi 

many mothers. — An infant may prove a misfortune. — Who 
is to blame. — A picture true to life. — Keep infants in their 
cribs. — An idiotic practice. — Trotting on the knee. — Creep- 
ing. — Walking. — Let a child mature gradually. — Moral in- 
firmities to be anticipated. — Teach it to be fearless and self- 
reliant. 

PAGE 

Chapter XXIV. . 125 

The education of mothers. — Facts repeated for the sake of 
emphasis. — The terrible waste of life. — Its preventable 
causes. — Ignorance and neglect in all classes. — Some mothers 
and their opportunities. — To bring up children properly is 
difficult. — Easily acquired prejudices. — Elderly advisers much 
to answer for. — Overworked mothers. — Penalty of poverty. — 
The duty which is demanded of all. 




Health of Our Children. 



o^o 



CHAPTER I. 

Mortality among children. — More than one-third under five years 
die. — The duty of every individual. — Unfortunate conceit of 
older mothers. — Not infrequently dangerous counsellors. — 
The inconsistency of their claims to unusual discernment. — 
The injury which they often do. — Defeating the efforts of 
physicians. — Honest criticism. — Delusions easily acquired 
and with difficulty eradicated. — Young mothers the best 
nurses. — The design of the author. 

TF an effort is made to lessen the mortality of a 
•*■ community, it must first of all be directed to im- 
proving the condition of children, as it is their loss 
that swells the death rate. In France, according to 
Bouchut, one-sixth of all born die in the first year of 
life ; in Sweden and Finland, one-fifth ; in Berlin, 
Prussia, one-third. In Philadelphia, 1883, according 
to Hartshorne, there were 16,736 deaths at all ages, 
of which 5,121 were under one year of age, 7,151, or 
about one in 2.33 of all deaths, under five years of age. 
In the report of the board of health of Boston for 
1885 is given a table showing the total number of 



2 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

deaths under five years of age, and five years and 
over, for fifteen years, commencing with 1871. It is 
noted that the total number of deaths at all ages was 
124,833, and of this number 49,229 were children 
under five years old. That is, considerably over one- 
third of all the deaths recorded took place in children 
under the age stated, and yet intelligent physicians, 
perfectly familiar with the causes of infant mortality, 
do not hesitate to say that among those born with 
healthy constitutions, and under entirely favorable 
circumstances, the mortality during infancy and 
childhood ought to be less than at any other period 
of life. 

In England, Dr. Farr has proved by his reports 
that the diseases of childhood are twice as fatal in 
towns as in the country. Thus it will be seen that 
the first step in sanitary reform should be directed to 
lessening, if possible, this excessive mortality among 
children, and that it can be lessened none can deny ; 
but the remedy is by no means with the health 
authorities ; it is within the province, and should be 
the duty of all to assist in the work which promises 
such beneficent results. 

A few hints on the care of infants may be of inter- 
est to young mothers ; older mothers, as a rule, after 
a brief experience, conclude that they have acquired 
all that there is to learn, and are inclined to distrust 



* MORTALITY AMONG CHILDREN. 3 

the efforts of physicians to dispel the delusions which 
are so common among them. The value of expe- 
rience is not to be underrated ; nevertheless it is a 
" dear teacher," as not a few have found, and not 
infrequently, while the mothers have been acquiring 
it, their infants have sadly suffered from experimental 
treatment, as the following case illustrates. 

Recently the writer was called to attend an infant 
made seriously ill solely by the want of proper care. 
The mother was at once taken to task for her glaring 
faults in management, and asked from what source 
she had acquired such stupid notions. An elderly 
woman in the room came to her rescue, and said that 
she had taught her how to care for her baby, and 
having had nine children, she felt, she said, that she 
was competent to give instructions to the young 
mother. This elicited the inquiry how many of the 
nine were living, and it was learned that but one 
among them all had survived ; the others had died in 
childhood. The writer felt impelled to say that, in 
view of the methods which she had evidently em- 
ployed, that one must either have had a powerful 
constitution or Providence had interposed to save him. 
It is such advisers as these who help swell the infant 
death rate. 

An expression which one occasionally hears used is 
"that there are more children killed by old ladies 



4 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

than by disease." It is a severe thing to say, and 
one naturally hesitates to indorse the assertion ; still, 
there is a basis of truth for it, and among those peo- 
ple who cannot unjustly be called ignorant, many 
infants' lives are sacrificed by reason of improper 
treatment, advised by those well-meaning, but, none 
the less, dangerous counsellors. While they pre- 
dominate in the lower classes, unfortunately they are 
not confined to them, and the results of their work are 
seen in every station in life. Not a few of them 
cannot read or write, and yet they are familiar with 
every disease and the treatment it demands, and feel 
competent to sit in judgment when the skill of the 
physician is discussed. Fortunate is the professional 
who wins their indorsement ; they can make or un- 
make him in families to which they have access, and 
yet his hold upon their esteem, as upon "princes'' 
favors," is never secure; let it once appear that he 
underestimates their importance, and they will soon 
convince themselves and others that he is lacking in 
professional skill and discernment. 

It may be said that this brief reference shows a 
lack of reverence, and that a mantle of charity should 
be thrown over the faults of those well-meaning 
people, and they be excused on the ground of good 
intentions. Were other than health and life at issue, 
the criticism might be warranted ; but in this instance 



MORTALITY AMONG CHILDREN. 



5 



it is not,' for there is too much at stake. Almost 
every physician who has been long in practice will 
say that, as a rule, they are more, successful in the 
treatment of children, the mother of which is young 
and inexperienced, than they are in families where 
the mothers are older, have had more experience, and 
acquired delusions which argument will not infre- 
quently fail to dispel, and which must necessarily 
obstruct his efforts, and also prejudice his success. 

The writer will touch here and there on points in 
the general management of children upon which, in 
his experience, mothers are most likely to err. No 
finished treatise will be attempted, but in a series of 
talks, as it were, will advice be given. 




CHAPTER II. 

Infant feeding. — Difficulties attending the discussion of the sub- 
ject. — Inviolate duty of mothers. — Child nourished at the 
breast. — Faults in the mother which grievously affect the 
health of her infant. — Mental disturbances. — Mischievous 
consequences of overfeeding. — Rules to be observed during 
the first six weeks. — No feeding during the night. — Simple 
expedient to save the strength of the mother. — How often to 
nurse the baby. 

^PHE subject of infants' feeding is one which can- 
■*■ not be understandingly treated unless it is viewed 
from every standpoint ; and so manifold are the condi- 
tions which must influence the food selection, many 
pages might be written ere the treatise were com- 
pleted. First must be considered the three ways in 
which infants are nourished ; namely, by the mother, 
by a wet-nurse, and by artificial means. Then there 
are the laws of diet, the proper conduct of nurses, their 
state of health, the influences which they encounter, 
and their effects upon the infants they nourish ; all 
these must be considered, together with manifold 
contingencies, some of which present but slight out- 
ward differences yet widely differ in true signifi- 
cance. Even when these were discussed, there 
would remain much of importance to dwell upon. 



INFANT FEEDING. y 

Thus it will be seen that the subject of food selec- 
tion for infants is wellnigh exhaustless. It is only 
permitted the writer to lightly touch upon a few 
points of special importance ; he will also endeavor 
to dispel some of the delusions of which, unfortu- 
nately, many mothers are possessed. 

The assertion that every mother should nourish 
her child, if possible, will bear repetition. Many 
decline to do so through caprice ; there are but few 
who cannot if they choose, provided they take the 
right course in the beginning. To point out that is 
the duty of the family physician ; and if his advice 
is invariably followed, the advantages both to the 
mother and her little ones will be incalculable. A 
fact of prime importance which should be impressed 
upon all nursing mothers is this : if they expect their 
infants to thrive and remain well, they must them- 
selves maintain good health. 

If a mother is ailing, her infant at the breast must 
also be more or less ill. If she is careless about her 
diet, and indulges in food which causes dyspeptic 
symptoms, the fact is registered in her child, and 
colicky pains, and possibly vomiting and diarrhoea, 
are the consequences. If she is a woman of a fret- 
ful, irritable nature, then her infant will be trouble- 
some, peevish, and sickly. Many a child has been 
made seriously ill simply because its mother gave 



8 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN, 

way to a "fit of temper" ; great mental disturbance 
diminishes or vitiates the secretion of the mother's 
milk, and it becomes hurtful to the nursing child. 

A very common complaint from which mothers 
suffer is constipation, and yet often they will persist 
in dosing their infants for the same disorder without 
ever thinking of treating themselves — the only sensi- 
ble course for them to pursue. When this irregu- 
larity is common to both, then little or no medicine 
will be needed by the child, but the mother should 
employ upon herself the proper remedies, regulate 
her diet, etc. 

It is natural, that mothers should be solicitous for 
their offspring ; it is, nevertheless, exceedingly unfor- 
tunate that many may not improperly be said to be 
over-solicitous, especially regarding bounty in feed- 
ing. In their assiduous endeavors to guard against 
even momentary hunger, too often they keep their 
stomachs overloaded both day and night. It is 
well for them to understand that the consumption of 
a large amount of food does not by any means imply 
that the increase in growth will be correspondingly 
great. For instance, if a baby takes more nourish- 
ment than it really needs, it is liable to grow thin ; 
while if the quantity is lessened, it will grow fat. 

It must not be forgotten that there is a physical 
law, that activity and repose must alternate ; that is, 



INFANT FEEDING. g 

that periods of rest are absolutely necessary to every 
organ of the body. If the digestive organs are over- 
worked, and the essential periods of rest are denied 
them, or they are so shortened that entire restoration 
does not occur, then they become weakened, are in- 
capable of properly performing their functions, and, 
unless the needed relief comes to them, in time they 
will become powerless. Again, it should be remem- 
bered that the digestive organs of an infant are natu- 
rally feeble, and that regularity in feeding is of even 
more importance to them than it is to adults. The 
functions of those organs are so intimately concerned 
in the growth of the child that any impairment, if it 
is not soon corrected, is likely to result seriously. 

During the first six weeks of life an infant should 
be fed every two hours during the day, but at night 
it should sleep at least six hours without feeding. If 
the mother retires at n p.m., it should then be given 
its food, and no more will be needed until 5 or 6 
a.m. How few mothers there are who observe this 
rule with their little ones ! If all would follow it, far 
better health would be enjoyed both by the mothers 
and children. The custom of many who insist upon 
nursing their infants during the night is a most 
pernicious and sinful one, for it is alike destructive to 
the mother and babe. The former should have at 
least six hours unbroken sleep every night, or her 



IO HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

general health will soon become so impaired, or her 
nervous system so weakened, that she will be rendered 
entirely unfit to nourish her child ; and the same 
period of rest is equally as essential to the little one. 
Some infants, it is true, at first rebel, awake and cry 
in the night. If they do so, it is very rarely an 
excuse for night feeding. A bottle should be pro- 
vided and a little milk and water or sugar and water 
given ; generally this is all that is necessary to pacify 
them, and by this management persisted in for a 
short time, the custom of sleeping six or seven hours 
every night will be formed, and then no further 
trouble will be experienced. 

After the sixth week the. interval between nursings 
should be gradually lengthened, and when the fourth 
month is reached, food need not be administered 
oftener than every three hours. Until the period of 
weaning, food may be given every three or four 
hours, as seems best suited to the child, regularity, of 
course, being an absolute essential 




CHAPTER III. 

Infant feeding. — Pernicious habit of many mothers. — Causes of 
crying. — Dangers from too frequent nursing. — Death a com- 
mon consequence. — Injunction not to be disregarded. — - 
Colic. — Plan for relief. — Troublesome infants. — Evidences 
of disease. — Substitute for milk. — Thirst. — Importance of 
water. — Cholera infantum. — Persistent vomiting. — Feeding 
with a spoon. — Bottle feeding. — Exceptional cases. — Pe- 
culiarities of some children. 

T^HE first thing which the average mother does 
A when her child cries is to feed it. This is one 
of the most serious of mischief-working habits, and 
it is one which, if persisted in, is likely to prove de- 
structive to the child. Babies, of course, do cry 
from hunger, but just as often, if not oftener, 
they cry from some other cause. Among the most 
common causes are colic, and the pain and dis- 
comfort induced by indigestion. It ought not to 
be difficult for any mother to recognize when her 
child is hungry ; she must be exceedingly dull if 
she cannot do so, and, unless the child is hungry, 
it ought not to be necessary to say that food should 
not be given it. But unfortunately it is necessary 
to repeat this injunction over and over again, and 



12 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

to point out the dangers of disregarding it, for it is 
one of the rocks on which so many mothers foun- 
der. 

In slightly changed language an accepted author- 
ity says on this subject : It stands without saying 
that the cry of hunger must be relieved by giving 
food ; but this is the very worst thing to do under 
other circumstances, for it both breaks up good 
habits, and produces serious mischief as well. The 
pain of colic and the discomfort of indigestion are 
chiefly due to the accumulation of gas in the in- 
testines, resulting from the fermentation of food. 
Mothers soon learn, and unfortunately infants, too, 
that the breast milk temporarily relieves suffering. 
This it does in the same way as any warm liquid ; 
but, unlike a simple fluid, milk only adds more 
material to the already fermenting contents of the 
stomach and intestines, and every nursing is soon 
followed by more pain, and, between crying and 
nursing and nursing and crying, the infant's life is 
passed in misery, if not cut short altogether. In- 
stead of continuous food, the plan for relief is to 
decrease the quantity of food by giving it less often 
and shortening the time the child is allowed to 
nurse, while medicines are employed to strike to 
the root of the evil. 

Not infrequently mothers complain that their chil- 



INFANT FEEDING. 



13 



dren are naturally peevish and troublesome, " always 
fretty," as many say, and they sleep but little and 
cry much. They assume that the irritable quality 
is inborn, and an essential part of their composi- 
tion, and more often do they fail to recognize it as 
an evidence of disease. A troublesome, crying child 
cannot be healthy, and mothers should be assured 
of this fact and endeavor to determine the cause ; if 
they fail to discover and remove it, then it is clearly 
their duty to seek the advice of a physician. In 
some children the ruinous habit of too frequent 
feeding may become so fixed that no little trouble 
will be met before they can be made contented 
with the needed change of food at longer and reg- 
ular intervals. In such cases it will be easy to 
substitute some simple liquid, such as milk and 
water, sugar-water, or, what is generally very accept- 
able, gum-arabic water. 

. Children often cry from thirst ; that is, from a 
desire for water. It never need be denied them, 
excepting, of course, in cases where the stomach 
rejects it, and such cases will be found very un- 
common. In cholera infantum vomiting is usually 
persistent, and yet not infrequently the same will 
be controlled if ice-water is freely given. The writer 
has seen cases in which remedies to check vomit- 
ing had been administered without any benefit, and 



H 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



still, when ice-water was given and the children 
were allowed to drink deep]y, possibly nearly a 
glassful, not only did the vomiting cease, but all the 
other symptoms at once begun to subside. This 
suggests the need of teaching infants at as early an 
age as possible to take liquids directly from a spoon 
or cup. Some physicians maintain that this method 
of feeding, to which the little ones very readily 
conform, is much less objectionable than by the 
bottle. Be it as it may, the children can be reared 
perfectly well upon the bottle if the proper care is 
used. 

While insisting upon the rule that regularity in 
feeding is an absolute essential to the welfare of 
infants, and that in the vast majority of cases food 
should be given no oftener than advised in the pre- 
vious chapter, the fact is recognized that there are 
occasional cases in which these intervals must be 
shortened, and possibly it will be necessary to admin- 
ister food once or twice during the night. Such 
cases are exceedingly rare, however, and can scarcely 
include healthy infants. It is not too much to say 
that, after they are four months old, they certainly 
ought not to be fed oftener than once in three 
hours ; at least, unless a physician deems it necessary. 
There are some children who need food less often 
than others, and even longer intervals between the 



INFANT FEEDING. jc 

nursings than those advised may be allowed. When 
this peculiarity is known to exist, it should be re- 
spected, and food should not be forced upon them 
so long as they sleep well, do not cry when awake, 
and are generally healthy and thriving. 




CHAPTER IV. 

Infant feeding. — Reasons why some mothers should not nurse 
their infants. — Moral and physical defects. — Inheritance. — 
Difficulties in nursing children artificially. — Selection of the 
nursing-bottle. — Convenient but deadly inventions. — One 
cause of infant mortality. — Dangers which cannot be exag- 
gerated. — A familiar sight. — The indifferent mother and her 
wanton methods. — How infants are killed. — A proper nurs- 
ing-bottle. — Simplest apparatus. — Approved form. 

A S previously stated, every mother who can nourish 
^ *■ her child should do so. By this it must not be 
interpreted that an adequate supply of milk is the 
only essential, and that all mothers endowed with it 
can properly nurse their children. The question of 
quality is of prime importance. If a mother has milk 
sufficient in quantity and yet it is poor in nutritive 
elements, and the child is sickly and does not thrive, 
then it would be far better if it were fed from a bottle. 
On this subject Starr says, in slightly changed lan- 
guage : There is no doubt, though the statement is a 
bold one and seemingly contrary to nature, that, 
taking the average, infants properly brought up by 
hand are better developed and enjoy more perfect 
health than those completely breast-fed. Of course, 



INFANT FEEDING. ij 

there is no artificial food equal to the natural, — the 
sound breast milk of a robust woman, — and a child 
fed upon this must thrive if other circumstances are 
favorable. Unfortunately, the woman who has suffi- 
cient health and strength to furnish an abundant 
supply of good milk during ten or twelve months, 
until the period of weaning is reached, is unique in 
our day, and the great bulk of those who do nurse 
their children grow pale, thin, and feeble, and give 
milk which, though sufficient in quantity to fill the 
nursling's stomach and satisfy the cravings of hunger, 
does not contain enough nourishment to meet the 
demands of its system. Such mothers complain that 
their children are always puny, peevish, and always 
ailing, and wonder why their neighbors babies, fed 
upon the bottle, are so . round, jolly, and healthy. 
The explanation lies in the simple fact that good 
cow's milk is a better food than bad breast milk. 

In deciding in individual cases whether or not a 
mother ought to nurse her child, many points are to 
be considered. There are moral, as well as physical 
defects, which, if existing, would weigh in favor of 
the bottle. If a woman is naturally fretful and irrita- 
ble, and possesses an uncontrollable temper, the arti- 
ficial means of feeding is the best for the child. The 
same may be said if these faults do not exist, but her 
home's surroundings are unhappy, and she is likely 



1 8 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

to suffer from grief and despondency, has a drunken 
husband or some other like misfortune weighing upon 
her. If the mother is poor in health, both herself and 
her child will suffer if she attempts to nurse it. The 
question of inheritance must be considered. Any 
disease, like consumption, scrofula, etc., existing in 
her family, and to which she shows a tendency, should 
debar her from nourishing her offspring. There are 
yet other points w T hich are influential, but they need 
not be herein dwelt upon. 

If a child is to be nourished artificially, the mother 
should, in the beginning, realize that only by con- 
stant care can she hope to have it continue well and 
thrive generally. There are certain essentials, the 
need of which should be impressed upon the minds of 
all mothers. First, in the selection of the nursing- 
bottle good judgment is imperative. There are num- 
berless complicated arrangements on the market, 
advertised as benevolent inventions, approaching as 
near as possible to nature's methods. Not only are 
these worthless, but they are perfect abominations, 
and occasion much sickness and many deaths among 
those upon whom they are used. All resemble one 
another more or less. The glass bottles are of varied 
shapes, but the internal adjustments are similar, and 
consist of a tubing, generally of both rubber and 
glass. 



INFANT FEEDING. ig 

A lazy mother finds these nursing-bottles very con- 
venient ; for, once filled, all that is needed is to insert 
the nipple in the infant's mouth, and he literally feeds 
himself. It is safe to say that it is just such indiffer- 
ent methods and contrivances as these that swell the 
death rate among infants. Very naturally will be 
asked, Wherein lies the objection to them ? There is 
every objection to them, and nothing whatever can 
be said in their favor. If any single reason for con- 
demning them was to be given, one important one is 
that they cannot be used and kept clean ; cleanliness, 
in fact, is absolutely impossible, no matter how care- 
ful the mother. It is needless to advance other 
objections ; the inventions are of an infernal charac- 
ter, and deserve only wholesale condemnation. 

There are probably but few indeed who are not 
familiar with the sight of a baby dosing in its cradle 
with the nipple of one of these patent nursing-bottles 
between its lips. The mother leaves it to feed itself ; 
it empties the bottle before its hunger is satisfied ; 
it still continues to draw upon the tip, finding a mel- 
ancholy satisfaction in nursing in the air in the 
bottle, which soon changes and becomes vitiated. 
Babies subjected to such neglectful treatment are 
almost always peevish and cry much. To stifle its 
frettings, after waking from short, fitful sleep, a com- 
mon practice of the indifferent mother is to thrust the 



20 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

nipple back again into the infant's mouth : it matters 
not if the milk which may have remained in the 
bottle has become cold, or if it has begun to sour; it 
serves its purpose quite as well if the little one only 
stops crying. As a natural consequence, a child so 
abused suffers frequently from colic; it vomits its 
food, has diarrhoea, sleeps but very little, becomes 
bloodless and wastes away, much to the surprise of its 
mother, who cannot imagine the cause of her child's 
illness ; and rarely will she believe herself at fault, and 
correct her methods, even when the defect is pointed 
out to her. 

The only apparatus necessary or admissible for 
feeding infants is the simple bottle and tip ; no other 
rubber about it. It matters little the shape of the 
bottle ; one with a fairly long neck and flat-sided will 
do very well. Among poor people, one frequently 
sees the common whiskey flask in use as a nursing- 
bottle. The principal fault with this is that being 
of colored glass it is impossible to tell whether or not 
it is perfectly clean. A bottle fit for the purpose 
should be transparent, so that any lack of cleanliness 
can be detected at a glance. 

There is a form of approved nursing-bottle which 
is oval, and the base is on one side. There are two 
openings, one for filling, and the other for the attach- 
ment of the nipple. The neck of the bottle is so 



INFANT FEEDING. 21 

formed the nipple is easily drawn on and removed. 
In the stopper which closes the opening used in filling 
the bottle there is a small hole for the admission of 
air. To use this bottle, the mother must hold it in 
her hand, and she can control the flow of milk by 
keeping her finger over the vent-hole. 




CHAPTER V. 



Infant feeding. — The nursing-bottle. — Importance of cleanli- 
ness. — How to insure it. — Rubber tips. — Dangers from 
milk turned sour. — The powerful poisons generated in it. — 
Ice-cream and cheese poisoning. — One probable cause of the 
terrible waste of life. — Injunctions to young mothers. — Dan- 
gerous habits to avoid. — Specially prepare each feeding. — 
Warming the milk. — The proper temperature. 

T T 7HEN an infant is given its food, the person 
* * in charge should take it in her lap, and the 
little one for the time demands her entire attention. 
As stated in the previous chapter, any transparent 
bottle can be made serviceable ; the one described 
is more convenient, but the manner of using that or 
any other is the all-important item. Another thing 
to be insisted upon is that two bottles be provided, 
for alternate use. When the child has been fed 
from one, that should be at once thoroughly washed 
out with boiling water, and then either put into 
a pan of soda and water or filled with a solution of 
the same, made by adding about a teaspoonful of 
the bi-carbonate of soda to a pint of water. In, or 
filled with this solution, it should be allowed to 
stand until next required ; then it should be emptied, 



INFANT FEEDING. 2 $ 

and thoroughly rinsed with cold water before receiv- 
ing the food. The same careful method is necessary 
with the tips or nipples, of which there should be 
two. These should be of black rubber; the white 
rubber contains the carbonate of lead, which is poi- 
sonous. Those of a conical shape are the best, for 
they are easily cleaned. After a child has been fed, 
the nipple must be removed from the bottle, dipped 
in cold water, and scrubbed with a brush. It should 
then be turned inside out, and again scrubbed ; after 
which it can be kept in perfectly clean cold water 
until needed. If this course is taken, there will be 
little or no danger from the bottle and nipple at 
least, and unless every precaution for cleanliness is 
used, there is the greatest danger of both becoming 
sour. 

It has recently been determined beyond all possi- 
bility of doubt that in milk and cream which have 
begun to turn sour there is generated one of the 
most powerful poisons known to man. There is no 
longer any mystery about the cases of ice-cream, 
cream-cake, and cheese poisoning which have terror- 
ized communities ; it was this deadly agent, devel- 
oped in simple milk and its products, which wrought 
such mischief. In view of this fact, it is not impos- 
sible that infant after infant, in countless numbers, 
may have been destroyed by this poison, generated 



24 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



in their nursing-bottles, because their mothers were 
too murderously neglectful to keep them from 
becoming sour. Surely there is nothing unreason- 
able in this assumption ; and even if it cannot be 
sustained by indubitable proof, there is evidence 
enough to prove that a large proportion of deaths 
among artificially nourished infants is due to the 
wanton indifference and the unclean, vile methods 
of some mothers. Probably there will not be a few 
who will think this statement exaggerated ; and yet 
it is not, as every physician who has practised long 
among certain classes can testify. 

The first thing, then, to impress upon the young 
mother, or old, if it need be, is the importance of 
perfect cleanliness in the feeding-apparatus of her 
child ; if she does not maintain that, the chances are 
against her raising it. She should also understand 
that for every feeding there should be special prepa- 
ration. Many mothers, to save themselves a little 
trouble, will make up in the morning the baby's food 
for the day ; of this she will " warm up " a portion of 
it as needed. Very likely, too, if a child's hunger is 
satisfied with less than a bottleful, the mother will 
set the bottle with the remainder on to the back of 
the stove, there to keep warm until the next time for 
feeding. Such a course as this all ought to know to 
be dangerous, but, unfortunately, many do not. A 



INFANT FEEDING. 



25 



mixture of infants' food in the morning is almost 
sure to change before night, and then be unfit for- 
use, if not absolutely poisonous. 

When the time for feeding a baby arrives, its 
mother should prepare the food,, and not until then. 
After the meal, what remains in the bottle should at 
once be thrown away, and the bottle and nipple 
cleaned as advised. This suggests another fault 
which is not uncommon among mothers. If they 
are to dilute the milk or other food with ;water, they 
use hot water, as by so doing it saves the trouble of 
heating the mixture by other and correct means. 
They generally use water from the tea-kettle, and 
are not likely to consider how long it has been 
standing in it. It may be red with rust or clear; 
the difference to them is scarcely worth considering, 
and yet to the child's digestive organs it makes 
a deal of difference. 

Another thing this class of mothers generally do : 
they pour hot water into the bottles and judge when 
the contents are of the right temperature solely by 
the hand test. In other words, they guess when it 
is about right by holding the bottle for a moment. 
Very likely in this way they will offer the baby the 
milk heated within ten or fifteen degrees of what it . 
ought to be. If it will not feed, and the mixture 
appears a trifle cold, then a little more hot water ; 



2 6 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

if it seems too hot after it is refused, then a little 
cold water or milk. Thus they continue to guess, 
and probably succeed in getting it just right about 
once in a dozen feedings. By this convenient but 
questionable method of dilution the mixture is rarely 
of the proper strength ; there is either too much or 
too little water added, and the baby's digestion is 
imposed upon accordingly. 

The temperature of infants' food should be about 
95° F. ; a trifling variation either way may do no 
harm. But in this, as in all things else expected 
of mortals to do, there is but one way which can be 
sanctioned, and that is the right way. In every 
home where there is a baby there should be a ther- 
mometer ; it is needed not only when preparing the 
food, but also in making ready the little one's daily 
bath. Now, when the infant's food is to be warmed, 
it should not be heated by diluting with hot water. 
The bottle containing the mixture, properly pre- 
pared, should be placed in a pan of hot water, or 
first in cold water, which can be heated on the stove, 
over a gas-jet, or as one pleases. 




CHAPTER VI. 

Infant feeding. — By the bottle. — The operation described. — 
Hints to mothers. — Preparation of food. — The proper quan- 
tity demanded by infants. — The limit of the capacity of the 
stomach. — Changes which are required in the food as age 
advances. — Milk. — The basis of all infants' foods. — The 
popular delusion regarding cows 1 milk. — Dishonest practice 
of milkmen. 

HTHE food made ready, the bottle well rinsed in 
-*■ cold water and filled, and the nipple adjusted, 
the child should be taken upon the mother's lap, 
and there, half reclining, be allowed to enjoy its 
meal. The operation will need constant watching ; 
if the base of the bottle is held too high, the milk 
will flow in a stream without suction, which it ought 
not to do ; and if held too low, the neck of the bottle 
not being filled, the child will draw in and swallow 
air — a harmful practice. An infant must not be hur- 
riedly fed ; ample time should be given it, and it will 
be well to withdraw the nipple and allow it to rest 
for a moment occasionally. 

Returning again to the preparation of the food, 
mothers should feel the importance of being exact in 
their measurements. If milk, water, sugar, etc., are 



28 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

used, then, when the proper quantities of each, 
suited to the child's digestion, have all been deter- 
mined, it will not do to vary them much, especially 
while it is very young. 

Regarding the quantity of food necessary to sus- 
tain an infant, it might not improperly be said that 
as long as he is fed at regular intervals, and thrives 
well, his appetite should be satisfied, be its cravings 
more or less than that of children usually. One 
writer says in substance : During the first four 
weeks, infants generally require from three-quarters 
of a pint to a pint of food daily ; in the second and 
third months, about one pint and a half ; and from 
this time to the twelfth month, from two, and two 
and a half, or even three pints. After the twelfth 
month, the quantity depends upon whether additions 
be made to the diet, or milk food be used exclusively. 

When the daily amount reaches three pints, the 
limit of the capacity of the stomach is usually at- 
tained, and the greater demand for nourishment, as 
the growth advances month by month, must be met 
by adding to the strength of the food rather than by 
increasing its bulk. These two factors, strength and 
quantity, are intimately associated throughout the 
whole period of infancy, and in the earlier months a 
mere increase of the latter is not always sufficient to 
properly support and nourish the system. 



INFANT FEEDING, 2 g 

Milk is the basis of all 'infants' foods ; it therefore 
demands at least a passing notice. Those who at- 
tempt to bring up children in large towns or cities 
are beset with many difficulties, and they are made 
even greater for people who are obliged to nourish 
their little ones artificially. That there are honest 
milkmen no one for a moment will doubt, but that 
all are not honest they will as readily agree. Take, 
for instance, the matter of "one cow's milk/' There 
are very few milkmen, indeed, who will not readily 
agree to supply those customers who desire it with 
milk from one cow, and yet it is safe to say that not 
one in twenty could do so, even if he wanted to. 
Very much of the milk sold in cities passes from the 
hands of the farmers or dairymen to the wholesalers, 
and from them to the milkmen or dealers. Some of 
the latter, it is true, are their own producers, keep- 
ing their own cows, etc. ; but there are very many 
who are not, and of the latter class few, if any, 
among them have any control over their milk until it 
is delivered to them at the milk depots, and it is a 
question if there are many even who know from 
what farms their supply comes. 

There are hundreds of foolish people who think 
milk from one cow is the best for their children, and 
they will insist upon having it, or rather, will en- 
deavor to obtain it. Every milkman who is unable 



30 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

to serve them knows that if he is honest and tells 
them the truth, he will as surely lose their custom, 
and the chances are that some other man no more 
deserving, but morally more indulgent, will secure it. 
In such a case, and especially when those deceived 
have no means of detecting the fraud, a lie is easy, 
in fact, easier than it is to tell the truth, since they 
know that the customer is stupid to make such a de- 
mand, and they also know better what he ought to 
have than he himself does. They therefore prom- 
ise to supply individual customers with milk from 
one cow only, but, as a rule, they still continue to 
give them mixed milk, as before, and of the same 
nature as that which they serve to all others. The 
parties most interested find a bare promise quite 
sufficient, and rest in fancied security. 

Now, in the first place, the customer himself is 
wrong. If he were to buy a good cow, feed it prop- 
erly, and keep it in uniformly good health, then the 
milk from it would be preferable for his infant. But 
all cows are not continuously healthy ; they are, of 
course, subject to changes and ailment like all other 
animals, and the consequence is, the mixed milk from 
several good cows is better for children than that 
from a single cow. Again, the milk of a cow, even 
in good health, may be lacking in certain constit- 
uents essential to a child, while it may contain an 



INFANT FEEDING. 



31 



excess of others, and those constituents vary, also, 
from time to time in the same animal. There are 
some breeds of cows the milk of which is preferable 
for infant feeding to that of other breeds. The herd 
of the average dairyman is made up of different 
breeds. It will be seen, therefore, when all things 
are considered, that the mixed milk from several 
cows is likely to be more uniform than that from 
a single cow. 




CHAPTER VII. 

Infant feeding. — Adulterated foods. — Milkmen. — Their hard- 
ships. — The spirit of the time. — Fraud everywhere. — Food 
and drug adulterations. — Government protection denied the 
people. — Scoundrels who gain wealth by fraud. — Lust for 
gain killing thousands. — Milkmen's tricks. — Responsibility 
of the purchasers. — They invite adulteration. — Delusions. — 
Milk color. — How it is used. — For what purpose, — Its 
action on the system. 

" A N honest man is the noblest work of God ; " 
■*■ *■ upon milkmen's honesty in no slight degree 
must depend the health of communities. If all milk- 
men are not honest, did it ever occur to the people, 
their customers, that they themselves are largely to 
blame ? As a rule they are an overworked and under- 
paid class ; and what other is forced to endure so many 
hardships for so little profit ? The laborer with his 
pick and shovel does not work nearly as hard, nor 
endure the privations which these men experience, 
and doubtless at the end of each year they are nearly 
as well off in this world's goods. 

When the cost of living lessens, the rate of mor- 
tality to a certain extent increases. In this age of 
competition, adulteration is invited ; to cheapen every 



INFANT FEEDING. 



33 



article in use, either for food or other purposes, by 
corrupting or counterfeiting it, seems now one of the 
great aims of man. Fraud is apparent everywhere, 
and the people alone are to blame for this state of 
things. The children luxuriate in candies made of 
glucose, gelatine, pipe clay, -etc. ; while the parents 
drink the sweepings of tea warehouses, prepared with 
gum or rice water, and colored with Prussian blue, 
indigo, etc. " Fine creamery butter " is made from 
lard ; the refuse of meat shops, no matter how badly 
decomposed, is now worked over into the appetizing 
bologna, and so it goes ; indeed, this is a " progressive 
age," as far as adulterations at least. 

As a Western writer has said : " The extent and 
variety of food and drug adulteration would seem in- 
credible were it not that the facts have been officially 
ascertained. There is scarcely an article of food that 
can be bought with any assurance of purity and 
wholesomeness. Trade guarantees are worth nothing. 
If manufacturers and dealers have no more principle 
than to persist incessantly, under the cover of the 
mysteries of their business, to adulterate and poison 
provisions, drugs, and delicacies, there is but one 
redress left, and that is summarily to break up the 
whole business by stringent legislation. A good 
beginning was made against fraudulent butter in the 
shape of oleomargarine ; let the good work go on till 



34 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

the market is thoroughly purged of this class of 
frauds. 

The protection of the life, health, property, and 
happiness of the people is the primary aim of govern- 
ment. It should stand as a wall of fire between them 
and all invasions from without or violence within, from 
open assault or covert danger. It is for this protec- 
tion the people pay their taxes and give their personal 
valor in times of war. Where does this protective 
function of the government cease ? Has it done all 
that should be expected when it hurls back the 
invader, subjugates treason, puts a stop to smuggling 
and counterfeiting, punishes murderers, burglars, and 
incendiaries? By no means. It should punish the 
adulterators of meat and drink as rigorously as rob- ^ 
bers and murderers. They are worse than the av- 
erage murderer, who kills in the heat of passion, for 
they kill off thousands of innocent people by the slow 
processes and homoeopathic doses of dirt, nastiness, 
and poison, from the sheer lust of gain. The Borgias 
and others of that accursed race were actually less 
culpable. They killed units, while the modern vend- 
ers of deleterious compounds insidiously assail the 
health of a whole community, and shorten the average 
duration of the human life. Better a thousand times 
an occasional dose of poison by a Mme. Brinvilliers 
than vile, unwholesome admixtures in our sugar, 



INFANT FEEDING. 



35 



syrup, coffee, tea, pickles, canned fruit, lard, butter, 
oil, curry, and a host of other articles in every-day 
use. 

It is not to be wondered at that milkmen keep up 
with the times ; that they, too, resort to many tricks 
and devices ; they have their share of the inventive 
genius which characterizes all tradesmen. Now, the 
purpose of the writer is not by any means to attempt 
to defend milkmen, but in all fairness all sides should 
be considered. The people are generally all drivers 
of bargains ; they want cheap milk, and it is safe to 
say that many get it. With an ordinarily large milk 
route, a man is not likely to get rich if he is honest ; 
neither is it easy for him to realize even a fair return 
for his labors. 

If the public were willing to pay them a fair price 
for their milk, so they could afford to furnish the 
genuine rather than the spurious, it is safe to say that 
but few milkmen would prove dishonest. As it is 
now, many among them must be more or less so, or 
they cannot even earn a living. It will be seen that 
the temptation to adulterate, use annotta or "milk 
color/' etc., is very strong, and many doubtless yield 
to it. Consumers in large cities are now fairly well 
protected by the authorities, but there is still room 
for improvement. 

It is safe to say that there are many people living 



36 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

in large towns and cities who cannot tell good milk 
when they see or drink it, and that the addition of 
some of the compounds which milkmen use, really as 
far as looks go, improves its appearance, and does not 
detract from the taste. Probably every man who has 
been long in the business can tell of customers who 
found fault with pure milk, and yet when the adul- 
terated mixture was served them, their complaint 
ceased. 

The so-called "milk color" is a solution of annotta. 
A short time ago it was easily obtained of men in 
Boston, who made it a part of their business to pre- 
pare it. Not only that, but they sent circulars 
through the State, telling the milkmen in the country 
of its value. The writer, possessed by a spirit of curi- 
osity, persuaded a milkman to introduce him to one of 
those "milk coloring " fraternity, and he learned 
much about its use, price, etc. About one teaspoon- 
ful is added to an eight-quart can of water, and that 
quantity of solution is used to dilute from four to five 
cans of milk. It is a fact that after adulteration in 
this way the milk looked much richer, and tasted as 
well, if not better, than when pure. With this com- 
pound, as with others which are known to have been 
used to " doctor " milk, it may, perhaps, be said that, 
as a rule, they are not injurious. For general use 
this may be true, yet there are cases where they 



INFANT FEEDING. 



17 



would prove harmful ; in adult invalids confined to a 
milk diet, and in young children, they would be to 
a certain degree poisonous. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

Infant feeding. — The milk supply. — Fixing the standard. — 
Needed sanitary enactments. — Official inspection of dairy 
farms. — Reforms which should be instituted. — Unconscious- 
ness of the public to its dangers. — Possible contamination. — 
How milk may become infected. — The ease with which disease 
is transmitted in milk. — Unhealthy state of many dairy farms. 
— How cows should be kept. 

r I ""HE purity of the milk supply, Chambers says, 
■4- is a matter of extreme importance, and fitly 
forms the subject of legislative interference, provided 
•always that the legislative interference be judicious 
and does not impede improvement by competition. 
Of such injudicious sort would be, for example, the 
fixing an absolute standard of cream contents. The 
standard must be low, or much genuine milk would 
be condemned ; and then when any dealer got milk 
richer than the standard, he would water it down to 
the mark, and thus the pump would be more active 
than ever. The purity of the milk supply is a sub- 
ject of pre-eminent importance to the healthy, above 
all others. I always feel indignant when I see 
advertised special milk, in sealed cans or otherwise, 
for the nursery or for invalids, as if the health of the 



INFANT FEEDING. 39 

sick and weakly were more important than that of 
the strong man, on whose arm those sick and weakly 
depend for their existence. Let us keep our strong 
man well, and we shall have fewer invalids to attend 
to. In choosing between two shops, I should much 
prefer the one that did not advertise a special article. 

While the consumers of milk are to a certain 
extent protected by law, what is of equal importance 
is for the law-givers to go farther and enact the most 
rigid laws to govern the farmers and dairymen, the 
producers of the milk supply. The adulteration of 
milk with water is by no means the greatest evil 
from which the people should be protected. The 
producers should be subjected to official inspection 
and sanitary enactments ; for, as has been said, the 
real poisons whose possible presence throws a dark 
shadow over the enjoyment of this delicious drink, 
are quite independent of its richness or the reverse. 
They are those arising from an unhealthy condition 
in the cow or in the human dwellers in the dairy, or 
from gross carelessness in keeping its produce. 

Diseases are readily transmitted by milk, and cer- 
tain diseases in the cow may give rise to specific 
maladies, such as scarlet fever, in those of the 
human family who consume the milk thereof. The 
contamination of milk is easy, and cases have been 
reported where inmates of farms have been affected 



40 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



with typhoid fever, and the infection has been carried 
in the milk from them to families in distant towns. 
If the public could only be aroused to a conscious- 
ness of the many dangers which threaten it through 
its milk supply, certain it is that it would insist upon 
legislative interference and protection. The only 
possible protection lies in subjecting the milk pro- 
ducers to the most rigid inspection, and fixing severe 
penalties for omissions on their part. 

Those familiar with the ways of not a few dairy- 
men will not need to ask what reforms should be 
instituted. There may be others, however, who do 
not know that the vilest of practices are not uncom- 
mon on some farms. What is needed is to protect 
the people from possible contamination from milk 
rendered unwholesome by the milkers' hands, by 
dirty water used in washing the pails and pans of the 
dairy, from the absorption of impurities which exist 
in foul air, and are present wherever there is bad 
drainage or other sanitary defects, and from a variety 
of other evils which are capable of rendering it unfit 
for food. In fact, to close every avenue by which 
the milk supply may become tainted and infected. 

While some of the milk producers are simply 
careless, others can be found who are naturally 
unclean, and many there are who are well meaning, 
and yet so ignorant of sanitary laws, that they are 



INFANT FEEDING, 



41 



none the less dangerous. Consider for a moment 
the location of wells on many farms ; if they are 
"handy" to the milk rooms, that is of first impor- 
tance to the average dairyman. His manure heap 
may be but a few rods away, and possibly his pig pen 
is as near, and yet rarely will it occur to him that 
the water contained in a well with these immediate 
surroundings is unfit to use in washing his cans and 
the other utensils of the dairy. Who ever heard of 
a dairyman who refused, as is very clearly his duty, 
to sell milk from his cows because one of his family 
was ill with typhoid fever or other infectious dis- 
eases ? 

Visit the farms in Massachusetts, or in any other 
state, and there will be found, on not a few at least, 
that the cows are kept in old tumble-down, ill-smell- 
ing barns or sheds, reeking with filth, the accumula- 
tion of years. Not infrequently the yards connect- 
ing with them are filled with stagnant pools of liquid 
manure, through which the animals must wade to 
reach their sheds. In the cellars beneath these 
barns are usually quartered pigs, and none can doubt 
but that the air of the building is rendered still more 
unwholesome by such neighbors. 

It is unnecessary to say that cows should not only 
be kept in absolutely clean sheds, but the animals 
themselves should be kept clean. If they are 



42 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



allowed to remain dirty or to breathe impure air, 
they become weak, their udders are sore and some- 
what inflamed, and the milk they yield is bad smell- 
ing and quickly becomes sour. 




CHAPTER IX. 

Infant feeding. — The milk supply. — Feeding of cows. — Improper 
substances used. — Acid milk. — Its effect on the system. — ■ 
Too late milking a grievous custom. — An honest milkman. — 
Rigid enforcement of the laws demanded. — Common faults 
in milkmen. — Faults in consumers. — How milk should be 
kept. — Fresh twice daily for children. — Condensed milk. — 
How it can be advantageously used. 

/^~\NE need not go beyond the limits of any large 
^^ city to find evidence that legislative interfer- 
ence is needed to protect the consumers of milk. 
In all will be found cows kept in ill-ventilated build- 
ings, and deprived of exercise and pure air. It is 
not to be wondered at, that with such surroundings 
they soon become diseased. Cows so kept, even 
before they become diseased, are absolutely unfit 
for milk production. 

Consider the manner of feeding ; brewers' grains 
are not proper food for cows, no matter what may 
be said to the contrary, and yet, on inquiry at the 
breweries everywhere, it will be found that they 
cannot meet the demand for it. Ensilage is much 
used for feeding cows, and many dairymen believe it 
of great value as a food. Partially decayed potatoes 



44 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



are also frequently given cows, more perhaps by the 
milk producers of cities, and especially of Boston. 
Now, a cow's milk is almost always acid, except 
when she is fed on beets and sweet grass ; that 
is, containing much clover. The human milk is 
always alkaline. By many experiments on a large 
number of cows, it was found that potatoes and 
potato mash yielded the most acid milk. It has 
also been proved that any fermented substance, such 
as brewers' grain, ensilage, etc., is almost certain to 
produce acid milk, which, if given to a young child, 
is very liable to cause diarrhoea and other digestive 
disturbances. 

For a time the milk of a cow is a normal secretion. 
By improper feeding, bad surroundings, and too late 
milking, it becomes an excretion. The last-men- 
tioned fault is not, as a rule, appreciated by farmers. 
Many, if not all, milk their cows as long as they 
yield sufficient milk to pay them for the trouble, and 
that generally brings them to within a month, or 
possibly two weeks, of another calving. It is a 
grievous custom, for gradually the milk deteriorates 
and becomes less and less rich in nutrient qualities, 
is blue, and, when allowed to stand, little or no 
cream will be found to rise. It is needless to say 
that a period of several months at least, unless fed 
with exceeding care, should pass without milking 
before a cow is expected to be again in milch. 



INFANT FEEDING. 



45 



If one were to write of all the reforms which might 
be instituted, and are absolutely needed to protect 
the consumers of milk, pages might be written ere 
the subject was exhausted. It is all very well to 
say, " For children residing in cities an honest 
dairyman should be found, who will serve sound 
milk and cream from country cows." How many of 
the people at large recognize such a man? How can 
he prove his claims to that distinction ? Of such 
extreme importance is it that the public be supplied 
with pure milk, free from all contamination, no man's 
pretensions should in the slightest degree be influ- 
ential, but every man in the business, from the 
owner of the cows to the deliverer, should be forced 
by law to be honest. Possibly the laws already 
existing are sufficient to govern the latter, and their 
rigid enforcement is demanded. But the former 
should be subject to official inspection by men per- 
fectly familiar with sanitation, and in them should be 
invested the power to prohibit the sale of milk by 
any dairyman who does not furnish that which is 
absolutely beyond suspicion. 

There are certain faults which some of the deliv- 
erers or milkmen have which cannot be overlooked. 
As has been previously said, to the large cities of 
America the greater part of the supply of milk for 
the day is brought in cars from the neighboring 



46 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

country towns. From the railway stations or from 
the milk depot it is taken by the milkmen, who con- 
vey it to their homes or stables, and there it is kept, 
as a rule, for twenty-four hours. The small dealers, 
the keepers of little shops, very generally live in the 
rear of the room where their wares are offered for 
sale. The milk supply is thus exposed to contamina- 
tion from the bad air common to such dwellings, and 
not infrequently also to infection from sick children 
and adults. 

Very many milkmen store their milk supply in ill- 
ventilated boxes, and often in pits beneath their 
stable floors, from which it is impossible to shut out 
the emanations from the manure and other filth. It 
should be remembered that milk is a fluid which 
very readily absorbs impurities, and especially dis- 
ease germs. Considering this fact, even the most 
unintelligent can understand that the milk supply 
should not be taken to a stable or other building 
with such vile surroundings. Yet if the stables of 
all the milkmen in cities were visited, in many would 
be found the milk exposed for a longer or shorter 
time in the so-called "coolers," before the smaller or 
delivery cans are filled. If there is not a law to 
cover such abuses as these, surely the people should 
see to it that their representatives enact one. 

Consumers of milk are too often indifferent in 



INFANT FEEDING. 



47 



their ways of keeping milk after it reaches them. 
When delivered in cans, it is a common custom of 
many people to draw from the same as they need it, 
and possibly a can may not be emptied until a fresh 
supply is received. As soon as the milk is brought, 
it should be poured into a glass or earthenware 
pitcher, and when this is emptied, it should be made 
absolutely clean, and then well aired. Those who 
have young children dependent upon milk food 
ought to receive a fresh supply of milk both morn- 
ing and night, otherwise in the warm months it is 
extremely liable to become unwholesome. With but 
few in cities is this possible, and, therefore, in sum- 
mer it will be well to scald the supply when received, 
to prevent its becoming sour. 

There seems to be a difference of opinion regard- 
ing the value of condensed milk for infant feeding. 
One writer says : It is frequently recommended by 
physicians, and largely used by the laity, on their 
own authority, in bottle feeding. It keeps better 
than cow's milk, and is supposed to be more easily 
digested by young infants. The latter supposition 
is a mistaken one, and arises from the overlooked 
fact that condensed milk is always given dissolved 
in a large proportion of water, while cow's milk is 
too frequently used insufficiently diluted, or other- 
wise improperly prepared. Condensed milk contains 



48 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN, 

a large proportion of sugar, forms fat quickly, and 
thus makes large babies ; the sugar also counteracts 
a tendency to constipation, often a troublesome com- 
plication of hand feeding. It is equally true, that as 
a food, it does not contain nourishment enough to 
supply the wants of a growing baby. Those who are 
fed upon it, though fat, are pale, dull, and flabby ; 
although large, are far from strong ; have little 
power to resist disease ; cut their teeth late, and are 
very likely to drift into rickets before the end of the 
first year. 

While condensed milk should not be given contin- 
uously to an infant, it may be properly used as an 
occasional change, provided, of course, a good article 
can be obtained. One great trouble is that, owing 
to its extensive use, there is much poorly prepared 
condensed milk on the market. 




CHAPTER X. 

Infant feeding. — Milk the basis of all foods. — Goat's milk. — 
How to prepare the infant's food. — The quantity of water. — 
Cream. — Exigencies. — Responsibility of mothers. — When 
to change the baby's diet. — Patented foods for infants. — 
Very little difference between them. — Dangers of indiscrimi- 
nate use. — No food equal the mother's milk. — Precautionary 
hints. 

T~VURING infancy, milk is the chief article of 
-*— * food to be given. If a child is to be nourished 
artificially, then cow's or goat's milk must be used, 
and made to resemble human milk as nearly as 
possible in composition and properties. An impor- 
tant advantage in the city, as one writer says, in the 
use of goat's milk is, that the animal can be kept at 
very little expense, so that even poor families who 
are not able to purchase and feed a cow can gen- 
erally possess a goat, from which fresh milk can be 
obtained at any time. Preference is to be given to 
goat's milk, when fresh, over cow's milk brought 
from the country, perhaps watered on the way, 
several hours old when received, and in commenc- 
ing fermentation. But cow's milk of good quality 
and free from fermentive changes is probably not 



50 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

inferior to goat's milk as a food for infants, and from 
its abundance it must continue to be in common use 
for this purpose. 

How may cow's milk be made to resemble human 
milk ? Taking the average cow's milk, it is neces- 
sary to dilute with water, and add sugar and fat. 
The sugar of milk is preferred, although pure white 
loaf sugar may be used : the former is on sale by all 
druggists. Fat in the form of cream is the best to 
be added. Very many people are quite successful in 
using milk simply diluted and slightly sweetened, 
and on that their infants seem to thrive generally. 

During the first week of life, if a child is to be 
nourished on cow's milk, it should be diluted with 
three parts of water. After a few weeks one-half 
water may be added, and then gradually the quantity 
may be lessened until pure milk is allowed. If cream 
is used, the quantity needed must be determined by 
the quality of the milk. Ordinarily, in the first two 
months of life, no more than two teaspoonfuls should 
be added to each nursing. From that time forth the 
quantity may be increased to a tablespoonful, or even 
much more may be demanded. 

Beyond this no general rule can be laid down for 
the government of all mothers. It will be under- 
stood that each individual case must be studied. No 
two children are alike ; the digestion of one may be 



INFANT FEEDING. 



51 



strong, while that of another is weak, and the diet 
suited for the former could not be borne by the 
latter. 

The exigencies which may occur and render 
changes in the food of an infant necessary are very 
many, nor can they be anticipated. No mother, be 
she young or old, should undertake to bring up a 
child artificially until she has first consulted a 
physician, and it ought not to be necessary to say 
that she should pursue the course which he directs. 
It is true that some might do well were they to be 
guided by their own judgment; very many others, 
however, would fail, and none should assume so great 
a responsibility. 

When a physician is consulted, the mother should 
insist that he write out the precise directions, for her 
to follow in the preparation of her baby's food. She 
should also be made familiar with those symptoms 
which indicate when a change in diet is demanded. 
If this advice is followed, the advantages both to the 
mother and infant will be many. The little one's 
chances of living and thriving well will be increased 
many fold, while not the least which the mother gains 
is security against those delusions which entangle so 
many. 

One of the pitfalls open to all mothers is the temp- 
tation to experiment with the numerous infants' foods 



52 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



for sale in shops. As every vender of a remedy would 
have the public believe that in his compound was 
embodied curative properties infallible in every affec- 
tion man is heir to, be it toothache or typhoid fever, 
so, too, would the inventors of infants' foods have the 
parents believe that only by feeding their benevolent 
preparations is it possible to nourish children prop- 
erly, and carry them safely to the period of weaning. 

Here it is well to say that many of the foods for 
sale under different names are simply one and the 
same thing. They are Liebig's food, and manufac- 
turers have taken the liberty of substituting their 
names, and have stolen the thunder of Baron Liebig. 
Many of the patented foods are worthless, some are 
hurtful, and there are but a few which can be consid- 
ered of value. The public is told that the inventors 
of these foods have at last succeeded in discovering 
a perfect substitute for human milk. The statement 
is untrue; those who have succeeded the best have 
yet failed in their purpose. 

No man, however capable or however ambitious to 
acquire riches or reputation, has succeeded in making 
food out of starchy materials analogous to the 
mother's milk. Some have, by painstaking methods, 
prepared foods which a weak or young stomach can 
easily digest, and many children do very well on 
them when combined with cow's milk ; still there is 



INFANT FEEDING. 



53 



a wide difference between them and natural infant 
food. 

A mother should never trifle with prepared foods, 
and experiment upon her little ones, for there is a 
grave danger in so doing. If it does not thrive well 
on cow's milk, or symptoms appear which in her 
opinion indicate that a change in diet is demanded, 
then she should consult a physician ; he will know 
what foods can be relied upon, and select the best 
one suited to her baby. 




CHAPTER XL 

Infant feeding. — Policy of the writer. — To do good without 
doing harm. — Mothers generally over-confident. — Many as- 
sume by far too great responsibility. — How disease frequently 
manifests itself. — Symptoms of brain disease. — Diphtheria. 
— Infant life ever in danger. — Send for a physician when 
disease threatens. — The awful consequences of experimental 
treatment and delay. — The terrible mortality, and who is to 
blame for it. 

r B ^HUS far in the treatment of the subject of feed- 
-*- ing the discussion has been confined almost en- 
tirely to milk. The reason for this limitation is 
obvious ; milk should be the chief article of food dur- 
ing infancy, and cases where important changes in 
the diet are demanded, in the first twelve months of 
life at least, are exceptional. It is to be hoped that 
the policy of the writer has ere this been recognized. 
His earnest desire is to assist the readers in caring 
for their little ones, and he feels that in no way can 
he make this more clearly evident than by carefully 
avoiding the discussion of all measures of treatment, 
the proper application of which demands the skill of 
a professional. In a word, he desires to do good 
without doing harm, and he would fail were he to en- 



INFANT FEEDING. 



55 



courage in the laity a reliance on self when life is 
threatened by injury or disease; it would be like 
putting into the hand of those whom he would serve 
instruments with which they might sorely wound 
themselves. In infancy, it may with propriety be said 
that life is ever in danger. As has been shown by 
the records of the board of health of Boston, of all 
the deaths which have occurred here for fifteen years, 
more than one-third were children under five years of 
age. 

As a rule, mothers do not appreciate the responsi- 
bility which rests upon them. With a little experi- 
ence there seems a natural tendency for many, at 
least, to acquire a confidence in their own judgment 
and skill in the treatment of childish disorders. 
While they confine their efforts to the correction with 
their domestic remedies of slight deviations from 
health and simple derangements, none will say that 
they do wrong. But in sickness, it is not always easy 
for the non-professional to recognize when the danger- 
line is reached. Many grave diseases come on insid- 
iously, and for a time exhibit symptoms so trifling 
that only those thoroughly educated in the science of 
medicine can read arightly their significance. True 
alike in children and in adults, especially is this true 
in the earliest years of life. 

Consider this case : a child grows exacting, is more 



56 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

difficult to amuse, and oftener appeals to his mother 
for sympathy in his little vexations and disappoint- 
ments. This is about all the change which she 
observes, and surely it is nothing to excite her appre- 
hension. If she is a cautious mother and calls a 
physician, he, by close questioning, will develop the 
fact, to which she had attached little or no impor- 
tance, that her little one has recently vomited occa- 
sionally, and is more or less constipated. Here are 
symptoms which might be deemed trifling. Simple 
nervous irritability appears with almost every childish 
derangement ; vomiting is also easy in children, and 
may be excited by even slight errors in diet, and as 
for constipation, an excess of milk and an infinite 
variety of other influences will cause it ; therefore no 
mother would consider her child ill when no other 
evidence existed. Considered alone, these symptoms 
which have been described are trifling, but appearing 
together, they point to the brain as the seat of the 
disease, and are early signs of that incurable disease, 
tubercular meningitis. 

Assume another case: a child on waking in the 
morning appears somewhat dull and listless, and 
indifferent about getting up as usual. If allowed to 
remain in bed or its crib, after a time it manifests a 
desire to leave it and be dressed. If old enough to 
do so, it walks about, very likely attempts to play, 



INFANT FEEDING. 



$7 



but soon seeks its mothers arms or climbs on to the 
sofa and there dozes much of the day. Occasionally 
it brightens up and appears quite natural, but soon 
grows indifferent as to what is going on about it. 
Food it does not care for ; but if urged to do so, prob- 
ably will take a little milk, but would prefer water. 
There may be some, but not very high fever. 

But few mothers would be disturbed by these 
symptoms, and many would conclude that a child 
presenting them had " eaten something that had hurt 
it," and induced a slight bilious attack, and a dose of 
castor oil was all that was needed to remove the 
trouble. A bilious attack would certainly give rise 
to the symptoms described, and yet, were an intelli- 
gent physician called, he would at once carefully 
examine the throat ; for in the same way, in a large 
proportion of cases, diphtheria makes its appearance. 

Now in the management of children even in health, 
mothers should appreciate the dangers which threaten 
all in early life. They ought to understand that only 
by the best of care can they keep their little ones 
well, and that when they are ill the chances of recov- 
ery depend much upon the promptitude with which 
the proper treatment is applied. If her child is ailing, 
and the mother attempts to treat it with domestic 
remedies, or with drugs obtained from some obliging 
apothecary, she assumes a grave responsibility, the 



58 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

weight of which but few can realize. If, on the other 
hand, she calls a physician, upon him falls the respon- 
sibility, and then if the little patient dies, she is with- 
out blame. 

No more sound and wholesome advice can the 
writer offer than for all who have the care of children 
to send for a physician when disease threatens them. 
Those who take this course may often seek medical 
assistance when their domestic remedies would have 
been all-sufficient, and yet delay is liable to be fatal, 
and who, without that discernment which is the 
product of deep and patient study of health and 
disease, can foretell the coming of that time of dire 
necessity ? who can tell when it has come ? How 
many mothers there are to-day who, as they turn the 
pages of memory and see pictured there the faces of 
their little ones, taken from them by the hand of 
death, in anguish cry, "It might have been. ,, 

Let it be remembered that very nearly one-sixth of 
all the children born here in America die in the first 
year of life. This fact is emphasized, not to terrorize 
mothers, but to stimulate those who are faulty in 
their management to greater watchfulness and unre- 
mitting care. It is scarcely possible that all realize 
how slender is the thread which binds infants to 
life, how easily it is broken by neglect, and yet the 
chances of living ought to be greater in infancy and 



INFANT FEEDING, eg 

childhood than in any other period of life. Who is 
to blame for this terrible mortality ? Not a few 
mothers must be held responsible for it. 




CHAPTER XII. 



Infant feeding. — Additions to milk sometimes needed. — Indi- 
gestion. — Patented foods. — Objections to their use. — When a 
child does not thrive well on milk. — Death the frequent con- 
sequence of experiment on infants. — A golden rule for 
mothers. — Arrowroot, oatmeal, etc. — When they can be 
used. — How to prepare them. — Barley. — Gruels which are 
allowable if intelligently used. 

O ETURNING once more to the subject of feed- 
■*■ ^ ing, as has been stated, those who are forced 
to nourish their infants artificially will find cow's 
milk the best suited to the wants of their little ones. 
That the milk must be above suspicion of adultera- 
tion or contamination has also been insisted upon. 
This, then, should be the chief food, at least through- 
out the first twelve months of life. It is to be under- 
stood that while this substitute for the mother's milk 
is suited to and will properly nourish many to whom 
it is given, for some infants it will be necessary to 
make other additions than simply water, sugar, and 
cream, which are commonly used to render cow's 
milk analogous to human milk. Lime-water is often 
needed to prevent, as the mothers term it, "milk 
curdling on the stomach." It is safe to say that the 



INFANT FEEDING. fa 

milk supply of all cities is much too acid, and, as a 
rule, it would be well to add to each nursing one or 
two teaspoonfuls of lime-water. 

Cow's milk properly diluted and sweetened, in 
certain conditions of the digestive organs, in occa- 
sional cases, is not well borne, and must be pre- 
digested by medicinal agents. Milk alone, or with 
lime-water, or predigested, may be found unsuited in 
a very few cases ; it is then that the prepared and 
patented foods, of which there are many on the mar- 
ket, are usually employed to meet the demands of the 
system. A discussion of these foods will not be 
attempted, for no mother should ever think of using 
one of them until advised to do so by her physician. 
The reason for this is obvious : out of all the infant 
foods which are advertised many are worthless in any 
case ; the very best are not suited to all children. 

One infant will do well on a certain kind of food 
and poorly on another. If a child does not thrive as 
it ought, then to discover what nutrient elements are 
demanded by its system is the very first step. Only 
a physician can determine what is wanting, and even 
the most intelligent will sometimes fail to do so at 
first. Once the nature of the want is learned, then 
to select the proper kind of food to meet it requires 
equal skill and a perfect knowledge of the various 
foods, the reliability of their manufacturers, etc. 



62 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

Thus it will be seen that in the important matter 
of making a radical change in her infant's food, a 
mother must depend solely upon her physician, and 
nothing can justify her in experimenting on her own 
responsibility. Some have experimented and been 
fortunate in their selection ; many others have failed, 
as the high death rate among infants gives ample 
testimony. 

If the need of professional advice exists when a 
child does not appear to thrive as it ought, when 
really ill, — that is, with symptoms indicating that 
cow's milk is burdensome to the digestive organs, — 
then changing the diet is fraught with even greater 
responsibility. An infant, for instance, has diarrhoea, 
and a persistence of this symptom indicates that a 
different food, or the addition of some substance to 
the milk, is demanded. Now, some of the advertised 
foods are markedly laxative in their action, and are 
suited to children suffering from constipation. If 
one such were given to a child with diarrhoea, the 
trouble would, of course, be made worse, while if a 
proper selection were made, it would be overcome. 
If a mother makes the change unadvised, she simply 
guesses what her child needs ; she may guess 
arightly, and she may make a grievous mistake : 
in the event of the latter, her little one will pay the 
penalty. 



INFANT FEEDING. 63 

In the management of her children, let the mother 
study how to keep them well, and not how to treat 
them when they become ill. If she will do this 
faithfully, the dangers which threaten infant life will 
be infinitely lessened, and for the new-born the 
chances of living will be equal, if not greater, than 
at any other period of life. After an infant has 
passed the second or third month it is not uncom- 
mon to find mothers substituting for milk some of 
the farinaceous substances rich in starch, of which 
arrowroot and oatmeal are the favorites. They 
assume that the child needs "more substantial 
food," and think that by the use of the substances 
mentioned the diet is rendered more nutritious. 
This is a grievous error ; for a child of the age men- 
tioned is capable of digesting only a very small quan- 
tity of starch, and when introduced into its stomach 
it induces an irritation of the mucous membrane, one 
of the prominent symptoms of which is diarrhoea. 

It is generally accepted that previous to the fourth 
month farinaceous food should never be given. After 
that period of life is reached, if there is any reason 
why milk alone is not sufficient for a child, an occa- 
sional feeding of barley water or oatmeal gruel may 
safely be allowed. The former is the most nutri- 
tious, while the latter is very useful when there is 
constipation. A teaspoonful of either may be boiled 



64 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

in a cupful of water, with a little sugar, for fifteen 
minutes ; less water will be needed as the child 
grows older. After straining through a linen cloth, 
the liquid obtained may be added to an equal quan- 
tity or less, according to the age of the child, of cow's 
milk boiled, skimmed, and slightly sweetened. The 
decoction made from barley or oatmeal is, therefore, 
to be used in very young children never alone, but 
as an addition to milk, to dilute the same, as it were. 
As the child grows older the gruel may be thicker, 
and less of it be given in proportion to the milk. 

The " prepared" barley is often used, but in this 
age of adulteration it will be well for mothers to pur- 
chase barley and grind it in a coffee-grinder. They 
should remember also that when either of these 
gruels is given, they should be made fresh for every 
meal. While barley and oatmeal are both nutritious, 
to a certain extent at least they favor the digestion 
of milk, and where a child is inclined to vomit the 
latter when taken diluted simply with pure water, 
the thin gruel prevents its curdling on the stomach 
in hard masses. 




CHAPTER XIII. 



Infant feeding. — The nutritious and digestible gruels. — Wheat 
flour. — How to prepare it. — The flour-ball. — Barley jelly. — 
Gelatine. — The limits of mothers. — That class which will 
disagree with the writer. — Some of the consequences of their 
methods. — Make no change in the diet while the child is 
doing well. — Good judgment imperative. — Rules to be ob- 
served. — Changes after the first year. 

TF artificially nourished infants after the fourth 
J- month do not appear to thrive well on cow's milk 
alone, properly diluted and sweetened, then barley, 
oatmeal, or wheat may be used, not alone, however, 
but as additions to the milk. To barley is given 
the preference, for it is more nutritious and diges- 
tible than either of the others mentioned. How 
that and oatmeal is to be used has already been 
described. To prepare wheat for infants' feeding 
it must be thoroughly cooked in the following man- 
ner : if possible, unbolted wheat should be obtained ; 
if it cannot be, the common flour will do fairly well. 
A pound of wheat flour should be put into a bag 
made of thin cloth or muslin, and tied up tightly. 
This should then be boiled constantly in a saucepan 
for at least twelve hours. When cold, and the cloth is 



Co HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

removed, this ei flour-ball " will be found doughy on 
the outside, but the inner portion will be baked hard. 
The soft outer covering should be cut away as worth- 
less, for the thoroughly cooked part or kernel only is 
fit for use. When needed, a portion can be grated 
off, and the yellowish white powder obtained added 
to the milk. 

Mothers will do well to wait until their infants are 
seven or eight months old at least before giving 
them this cooked wheat, and then, as one authority 
directs, two meals of flour-ball daily — say the second 
and fourth — are all that can be digested. To pre- 
pare these, rub one teaspoonful of the powder with a 
tablespoonful of milk into a smooth paste ; then add 
a second tablespoonful of milk, constantly rubbing 
until a cream-like mixture is obtained ; this is poured 
into eight ounces (half a pint) of hot milk, stirring 
well, and is then ready for use. If one or two meals 
of the flour-ball are given daily, the others should be 
of milk, prepared as has been the custom of the 
mother. 

Eustace Smith highly recommends for feeding 
infants what he terms " barley jelly/' In making 
this, put two tablespoonfuls of washed pearl barley 
into a pint and a half of water, and slowly boil down 
to one pint. This should then be strained, and, 
when allowed to stand, sets into a jelly. For one 



INFANT FEEDING. 



6 7 



feeding, dissolve two tablespoonfuls of this jelly in 
half a pint of milk, warmed and sweetened. It 
should not be allowed oftener than twice a day. 

Many physicians find gelatine serviceable in infant 
feeding. Starr prepares it in the following manner : 
Put a piece of plate gelatine, an inch square, into 
half a tumblerful of cold water, and let it stand for 
three hours ; then turn the whole into a teacup ; 
place this in a saucepan half-full of water, and boil 
until the gelatine is dissolved. When cold, this 
forms a jelly ; from one to two teaspoonfuls may be 
added to each bottle of milk, prepared for nursing. 

With somewhat wearisome detail, the only diet 
which a mother, on her own responsibility, is justi- 
fied in giving her infant during the first year of life, 
has been described. The assertion is ventured that 
there are many mothers who will not hesitate to say 
that a baby would starve on such a simple diet as he 
advises. Mothers of this class believe in feeding 
their infants at the table as soon as they can . sit in 
a high chair, and these same mothers can recognize 
a case of convulsions when they see it, for such 
attacks are common in their children. When the 
doctor is called in such cases and endeavors to learn 
what food has been given to the baby, scarcely a year 
old, to cause the fit, such a mother, " for the life of 
her, cannot tell, for, at dinner, he had only a few 
baked beans;" or, possibly, "a bit of cabbage." 



68 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

Let those mothers who are forced to nourish their 
infants artificially begin with cow's milk, and dilute 
it at first with three parts water. Unless a physician 
directs a change, none should be made in the diet of 
the child, at least not until after the fourth month, 
excepting it be to lessen the. quantity of water. If 
the little one is well and thrives generally, then the 
diet of milk should be persisted in. 

If it appears that the diet is not well borne, if 
constipation exists, or if the child needs more nutri- 
tious food, then barley, oatmeal, gelatine, or wheat 
may be employed. Good judgment is imperative in 
using these substances, simple as they appear to be, 
for the digestive organs of an infant are exceedingly 
delicate and easily disordered. When first given 
they must be made into very thin decoctions, and 
the child accustomed to them gradually. In the 
beginning it will be well to add whichever is selected 
to one nursing on alternate days ; then give once a 
day, and finally twice, say with the second and fourth 
nursings. In the meantime, it will be easy for the 
mother to determine if the slightly changed diet is 
suited to her child, and if it is not, then, of course, 
the substance used is, for a time at least, forbidden. 

By the judicious use of these simple substances, 
which a mother is justified in using if she thinks her 
infant needs them in addition to milk, she can, in 



INFANT FEEDING. $g 

nearly all cases, sustain the little one well during the 
first year of life at least. For the sake of emphasis, 
it is repeated that no radical change in the diet 
should be made unless ordered by a physician. Dur- 
ing the first year of an infant's life, artificially nour- 
ished, as a rule all its food should be administered in 
a bottle ; at least it should be thin enough to be 
given in that way. 

In the beginning of the second year the child 
should be fed occasionally with a spoon, and a few 
changes in the diet are warranted. Assuming that 
when this period is reached that it is taking milk, to 
which, possibly, cream is added, also flour-ball, barley 
jelly, or oatmeal, once a day may be allowed for a 
meal the yolk of an egg, lightly boiled, with stale 
bread crumbled into it ; the egg must be soft enough 
to soak the crumbs. Stale bread or soda crackers 
may also be crumbled into the milk ; these, in all 
cases, must be allowed to soak until they have 
become soft. 

At this point, it is well to say that a child should 
not be permitted to sit at the table with its parents 
until after three years old. As they well know, a very 
young child wants about everything it sees, and 
especially is this true of articles of food. To satisfy 
it, well-meaning mothers easily fall into the grievous 
habit of giving them a wee bit from this and from 



7o 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



that dish, not only doing them very great injury, but 
also making them wilful and far more troublesome. 
Than this, there is no custom more fatal to good dis- 
cipline, without which a mother can never properly 
rear her child. 




CHAPTER XIV. 



Infant feeding. — In the second year. — The number of meals 
daily. — The proper hours. — Animal foods. — When broths 
may be allowed. — How prepared. — Vegetable foods. — Diges- 
tible meats. — Precautions to be observed. — Diet after the 
eighth month. — Progressive changes. — When a full diet 
may be allowed. — Important lessons which children must be 
taught. — The child at the table. — Its diet then. 

T~*\URING the earlier part of the second year 
^r children often demand a varied diet ; milk, 
however, should still be the principal food, and as 
long as that, with the addition of barley, oatmeal, or 
wheat, suffices, and the child appears to thrive well, 
no change should be made simply because it has 
reached a certain age. It is advised that five meals 
be given each day, — the first at 7 a.m., the second 
at 10 a.m., the third at 2 p.m., the fourth at 6 p.m., 
the fifth at 10 p.m. 

During the second year, beef tea, mutton, chicken, 
or veal broths may be allowed. These must be given 
very thin at first, and great caution in their use is 
imperative. Beef tea is slightly laxative ; the same 
may be said of the broths, which are less so, however, 
than the first mentioned. If, therefore, diarrhoea 



72 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



exists in a child, they should be forbidden. When 
there is no objection to their use, one of them only 
should be given occasionally at first, and its effect 
upon digestion carefully watched. In making them, 
they need to be only about half the strength which 
would be proper for adults. They should be thick- 
ened with stale bread crumbs, and very little rice 
may be safely added occasionally. 

For the last half of the second year, beef tea, or 
one of the broths, once a day is all that should be 
allowed. During this period, a thin slice of bread, 
lightly buttered, will be a grateful addition to the 
diet, and it is usually well borne by a healthy child ; 
new bread is, of course, forbidden, as indigestible. 
Many mothers are accustomed to give their children 
mashed boiled potatoes in the first year of life ; diar- 
rhoea is often the consequence. Until beef tea is al- 
lowed, this vegetable food may properly be withheld. 

While five meals a day are advised for a child until 
it reaches the eighteenth month, four are quite suffi- 
cient for many children as that period approaches. 
They should not be disturbed late at night to be fed, 
but if awake when the parents are retiring, a cup of 
warm milk may be given, and nothing more will be 
needed. 

Rare roast beef, steak, and other kinds of meat 
are often given children by their mothers early in 



INFANT FEEDING. 



73 



the second year, a common custom being to cut the 
same into long, narrow pieces, from which they are 
allowed to suck the juice. There is nothing par- 
ticularly objectionable in this; still, it ought not to 
be indulged in too early. As a rule, after a child is 
eighteen months old will be time enough to give it 
meat in this form. After that age is reached, any 
easily digestible meats, such as beef or mutton, rare 
done, scraped out very fine and crushed into a paste, 
may be allowed, with bread and butter or mashed 
potato. There may be given, also, milk toast, well- 
cooked rice, oatmeal, and even cornmeal and milk. 
It is always well to accustom a child to take oatmeal 
every morning with its breakfast. 

From the eighteenth month, for the next year, 
children need four meals each day. During that 
period a greater variety of food may be allowed, 
but all substances which are not easy of digestion 
must be religiously excluded from the diet. Until 
a child is two and a half years old, all meat which 
is allowed it should be crushed into a paste. After 
that age, and until it is three and a half years old, at 
least, roast turkey and chicken may be given it, but 
with them, as with beef and mutton, they must be 
minced fine, for digestive disturbances are liable to 
be excited if this is neglected. 

In the third year a child may be permitted to 



74 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



take its meals at the table with the family. Parents 
should understand, however, that even then he has 
not reached an age when a full diet can safely be 
allowed. First of all, he must be taught to eat 
slowly, and parents certainly ought to set the ex- 
ample. The habit of " bolting" food, so common 
to many, both children and adults, is an extremely 
pernicious one, for which there is no excuse. 

Even before this period, sound fruits may be 
allowed children, provided, of course, those easy of 
digestion are selected, and care is taken to remove 
the seeds, skins, etc. It will be well to encourage 
them, when they join the family at the table, to eat 
a small quantity of fruit for breakfast, and before 
other foods are served. For this meal, children may 
be allowed milk, oatmeal, bread and butter, and eggs, 
either lightly boiled, poached, or scrambled. If, 
instead of eggs, they prefer fresh fish or steak, either 
one or the other may be given ; the meat, of course, 
must be minced fine. Fried foods are forbidden, 
and this includes fritters and fried cakes. 

At dinner, if the soup is thin, it may be allowed, 
but that kind of soup so often in the home of the 
laborer, and which is made from bones, and thickened 
with vegetables, and strongly flavored with onions, 
is entirely unsuited to a child's digestion, and should 
never be given it. Roast or boiled meats, such as 



INFANT FEEDING. 75 

beef or mutton, may be allowed ; the fact that pork 
and all salted and otherwise cured meats are difficult 
of digestion should be remembered, and their indul- 
gence forbidden. 

Potatoes, baked or boiled dry and mashed, spinach 
and peas, string beans, asparagus of good quality, 
cauliflower, and beets when young, are no burden 
to a child's digestion, and should be allowed ; with 
green corn it is different, unless that which is very 
tender is used, and the kernels are carefully crushed 
or grated. Such vegetables as turnips, cabbage, car- 
rots, parsnips, and onions, require strong powers to 
digest them. The same may be said of celery, un- 
less it is stewed. 

Sweet potato is much less easily digested than the 
round or, as commonly called, the Irish potato ; it 
also quickly undergoes a sort of sugary decay. 
While the vegetables which have been recommended 
as a part of children's dietary are usually well borne 
by them, it must not be assumed that they can safely 
eat them all at one meal ; only two of them should 
be partaken of each day. Among those dishes which 
must be forbidden children are lobsters, crabs, liver, 
sausages, chicken and other salads. Pies and pastry, 
plum and suet puddings, are also unfit for them ; rice 
and milk, corn starch, or some other equally light 
pudding, is all that may be allowed for dessert. 



j6 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

For supper, milk toast, bread and butter, and a 
glass of milk, with possibly a little stewed fruit, will 
be quite sufficient for young children. Hot bread, 
cheese, and hashed meat and vegetables, so often the 
supper of the hearty workman, is altogether too in- 
digestible for young children. In fact, it should be 
the duty of the mother to learn what foods are easily 
digestible, and none others should be allowed. Her 
own powers of digestion, or those of the father, can- 
not by any means be considered a safe guide in the 
selection of food for her little one. 




CHAPTER XV. 

Children's diet. — In the third year. — Hints and necessary pre- 
cautions. — Digestibility of various fruits. — Warning against 
sweetmeats. — The dangers from their use. — The conduct of 
some parents sinful in the extreme. — Tea, coffee, and choco- 
late. — Children should never be allowed them. — The atro- 
cious practice of encouraging the use of stimulants. — The 
brain in childhood. — Tendency to disease then exists. — 
Hints to be remembered. 

T T 7~HEN a child approaches the third year of life, 
^ * it may be allowed fresh fruits, provided, of 
course, those easy of digestion are selected, and care 
is taken to remove the seeds, skins, etc. This is but 
a repetition of the advice given already. There are 
yet a few points to be considered in its connections. 
First, it must be understood that the quantity of any 
fruit allowed a child of the age mentioned must be 
moderate. Intemperate indulgence in even the most 
digestible fruits is usually followed by unpleasant 
consequences. As a rule, those which are very acid 
and require much sugar to make them palatable are 
to be withheld. Oranges, apples, and peaches, if per- 
fectly ripe and mellow, may be occasionally allowed 
with safety, unless, of course, there is an irritability 



78 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

of the stomach and bowels. Pears are less digestible, 
but if thoroughly ripe, can do no harm, unless freely- 
indulged ; then diarrhoea is a common consequence. 

Of all berries which contain small, hard, and insolu- 
ble seeds, strawberries are the least burdensome to 
the digestive organs ; still, they, like blackberries, 
currants, etc., are particularly apt, when taken im- 
moderately, to excite intestinal derangement. Native 
grapes, having a firm skin and large seeds, are abso- 
lutely unfit for children unless the skin and seeds are 
removed : the pulp is very easily digested. 

Cherries should be forbidden, for, even when the 
stones are rejected, they are quite sure to work mis- 
chief. Probably that old delusion still exists, that if 
one eats cherries and swallows the stones, no harm 
can follow. A more stupid notion cannot be con- 
ceived of, and, in not a few instances, has death re- 
sulted from the irritation of cherry-stones lodged in 
the bowels. 

The banana is a fruit of which children are particu- 
larly fond. It is somewhat difficult of digestion, and 
must be given guardedly. Cantaloupes are well 
borne ; stewed and roast fruits, provided they are not 
very acid, are well suited to the digestive powers of 
children, and have a beneficial effect by their ten- 
dency to excite the action of the bowels. 

A word of warning against indulgence in the use 



CHILDREN'S DIET. yg 

of sweetmeats, which is a potent cause of disease and 
mortality during childhood. Even where pure they 
are exceedingly indigestible, and tend to disorder the 
stomach and associate organs, and when adulterated, 
their effect is still more pernicious. It should be 
remembered that poisonous pigments are sometimes 
used in the manufacture of candies. Dried candied 
fruits, such as raisins, etc., are also exceedingly 
harmful. 

The conduct of parents in relation to this subject 
is often, as Eberle sagely remarks, extremely irra- 
tional and pernicious in its consequences. They 
would not themselves venture on the frequent and 
free use of confectioneries, and yet will indulge their 
children, with scarcely any restraint, in the use of 
these pernicious luxuries. The sicklier and weaker 
the child is, the more apt, in general, is it to be 
allowed these destructive gratifications. The pale, 
feeble, and sickly child, whose stomach is hardly able 
to digest the most simple and appropriate aliment, is 
sought to be delighted and appeased by the luscious 
and scarcely digestible articles of the confectioner. 
Indigestion, intestinal irritation, terminating often in 
ulceration and incurable diarrhoea, are the frequent 
consequences of such conduct, and at best, such indul- 
gences must inevitably prolong the feeble and sickly 
condition of the child, and not infrequently eventuate 
in permanent constitutional infirmity. 



80 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

Tea, coffee, cocoa, and chocolate should never be 
allowed children, and the same is true of all stimulants 
whatsoever. In some families given to indulgences 
in beer at the table, not infrequently the parents will 
encourage their children in drinking the same even 
before they have reached the third year of life. This 
is a most atrocious thing for them to do. Not only 
do they lay the formation of a habit which may in 
after life prove a bitter curse to the child, but the 
baneful effect is often immediate. 

While the brain is developing it is exceedingly 
sensitive and easily deranged. Children are also ex- 
tremely liable to inflammatory affections, sudden in 
their attack, rapid in progress, and too often fatal in 
their termination. Any unusual influence upon cir- 
culation may disarrange that delicate adjustment of 
vital processes, and disease quickly follows in conse- 
quence. All, of course, have recognized the extreme 
excitability of children from the excess of vitality. 
If the nervous system becomes deranged by any 
powerfully acting cause, the trouble does not stop 
there, but so strong is the sympathy which exists 
between all the important organs of a child, mere 
nervous excitement may induce organic disorder or 
disease. 

The practical deduction from this is to protect a 
child from all influences which may be in the slight- 



CHILDREN'S DIET. 8 1 

est degree harmful. An indiscretion in feeding may- 
be followed by convulsions or other serious conse- 
quences. Stimulants quicken circulation, which in 
children is exceedingly active and vigorous. They 
have a direct tendency to increase the flow of blood 
to the brain, and consequently increase the liability 
to disease of that vital organ. Therefore, pure water 
constitutes the best drink for children, and, it is not 
too much to say, for adults also. The former should 
be encouraged to drink water freely, and the demand 
for it exists even in very early life and increases with 
the age. The youngest infant requires it. Very cold 
ice-water is unfit for children ; but in very warm 
weather the water may be moderately cooled by bits 
of ice. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

Bathing of infants. — Cleanliness an important requisite. — Con- 
sequence of neglect. — Healthful impressions from early prac- 
tices. — The virtues of the different baths discussed. — The 
writer digresses. — A tribute to intelligent mothers. — Ther- 
mometers. — Actually necessary in the nursery. — The tem- 
perature of the infant's bath. — When cold sponging is per- 
missible. — Warm baths must be quickly administered. — 
When to bathe. — The preparations. 

\\ 7ITH the child's debut at the table, to share 
* * henceforth the food of its parents, the sub- 
ject of diet may now be dismissed, with the ardent 
hope that among the readers some mothers at least 
have found this rambling discussion a source of 
instruction, and the writer has been permitted to aid 
them in the feeding of their little ones. 

Returning again to early infant life, there are a 
few points on bathing which may properly engage 
attention. At no period is cleanliness of the skin 
a more important requisite than in infancy. If fre- 
quent bathing is not practised, then not only is the 
general health impaired, but there is an especial 
tendency in a neglected child to suffer from indi- 
gestion, or other stomach and intestinal disorders. 



BATHING OF INFANTS. 



83 



There is also an influence more remote, yet no less 
important, which must be considered. 

Children, says an old writer, who are early accus- 
tomed to the comfortable and healthful impressions 
of washing and bathing, will rarely, in after life, 
neglect the observance of personal cleanliness ; and 
those, on the contrary, who are neglected in this 
respect during childhood, will seldom manifest a 
proper regard for this physical virtue, in the subse- 
quent stages of their lives. 

The subject of bathing may seem to many moth- 
ers one too trifling for discussion, as doubtless all 
feel themselves eminently capable of properly per- 
forming this simple nursery rite. Still there are 
practices among some of them which may be deemed 
objectionable ; and, again, even physicians differ 
much on certain important points connected with 
infant bathing. For instance, one believes that a 
baby should be bathed twice a day ; another deems 
once daily quite sufficient, and emphasizes the perni- 
cious results which will surely follow if the advice 
of the first is followed. Again, some physicians 
recommend warm baths for children, while others 
consider the custom of giving them to be highly 
reprehensible. The latter are, therefore, enthusi- 
astic advocates of cold baths. They believe that 
the exhilarating and bracing effect produced by 



8 4 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



them is as beneficial, if not more so, for the infant 
as it is for the adult. 

Considering the difference of opinion among pro- 
fessionals, it is not reasonable to suppose that all 
mothers have agreed upon what is right and proper. 
For this reason it is assumed that a brief discussion 
of the subject may not be without interest. 

At this point it is well to state that there are 
doubtless many mothers who have followed the 
writer in his rambles over the subject of infant 
feeding, who have learned nothing new. Very likely 
these mothers are unusually intelligent, have been 
properly instructed as to the care of children by 
their family physician, and have wisely sought and 
been guided entirely by his advice on all matters 
pertaining to the nursery regimen. Not only are 
these mothers to be complimented for the sterling 
sense which they have displayed, but also are the 
physicians consulted to be congratulated on having 
such patients and apt pupils. For such, it is true, 
there is little to learn, and for what remains they 
should seek their medical attendant ; he is the 
proper one to instruct them. 

All mothers are not as fortunate as those referred 
to. Some are not surrounded with every luxury, 
and very many, indeed, are unable, for the want of 
means, to seek professional advice to dispel every 



BATHING OF INFANTS. 85 

doubt or correct every trifling derangement. In fact, 
they who are so blessed by fortune are few in num- 
ber when compared to the many who are forced to 
practise self-denial in all things, and who know that 
even one visit of a physician means for them more 
rigid economy, for a time at least, in their usual 
expenditures.^ It is this class of mothers the writer 
would assist ; and if by his writings he has been 
influential in preventing a fatal illness in even one 
little child, who can say that he has labored in vain ? 
As Dr. Sophia J ex-Blake remarks: "No detail can be 
too homely, no caution too minute, if by such means 
a single infant life may be spared, or a single mother 
relieved from cruel and embarrassing anxiety.' ' 

It would be a good plan for all mothers of very 
young children to provide themselves with ther- 
mometers. They are inexpensive, and are actually 
needed in the nursery, not only in preparing the 
infant's food, but the bath, also. In regulating the 
temperature of either, the hand test is not to be 
trusted. During the first year of life the bath of in- 
fants should be at 95 °. After that period is reached, 
it may be gradually lowered four or five degrees, but 
it should not go below 90 until after the child is 
three years old, at least, and some writers advise 
that the water still be heated to that degree until the 
tenth year. 



86 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

This rule, it is to be remembered, is for a full 
bath. Some advocate sponging with colder water, 
but it should be forbidden until after the teething 
period, and even then the temperature of the water 
ought not to be but a trifle below 90 , and the spong- 
ing should be done quickly, and be followed by brisk 
rubbing and exercise, to produce reaction. Even in 
the warm bath, a child should not be allowed to 
remain indefinitely, and kick and splash as so many 
mothers delight to see their children do. In from 
three to five minutes at the longest, they should be 
removed. 

The proper time for bathing children is in the 
morning and midway between two meals. Some 
mothers freely nourish their little ones at the breast, 
or from a bottle, and then at once put them into 
the bath. This is an unpardonable custom. Before 
bathing, the room should be made comfortably warm. 
If a portable tub is used, it should be deep enough 
for the child to sit up to its neck in the water. 
Immediately after being undressed, to wet its head 
is the first step, and not until that is done ought the 
little one to be placed in the tub, and then it should 
be thoroughly washed with a soft cloth or a sponge. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

Bathing of infants. — Soaps which are forbidden. — Those which 
may be used. — Washing the head. — Common delusions. — 
Treatment after bathing. — Expedient when a child fears the 
bath. — Toilet powders. — Inexpensive substitutes. — How 
often to bathe. — Only gradual changes in the temperature 
allowable. — Cold sponging. — The hot bath. — Mustard bath. 
— The cooled bath. — Imperative necessity of cleanliness in 
the person of the mother. — Bathing the breasts. 

T^HE best soap to use in washing children is the 
-*- pure old castile soap. Scented soaps are for- 
bidden, as it is possible for strong perfumes to con- 
ceal the presence of rancid fats. In washing a baby, 
soap may be used generously, a lather made and plen- 
tifully applied to the whole body and the head. The 
latter is frequently neglected, and, as a consequence, 
crusts form, which many foolish mothers allow to 
remain, fearing the brain would be affected were they 
removed. Hard water is unfit for a child's bath. 

As previously said, the little one should be bathed 
quickly, and removed from the tub within from three 
to five minutes ; the shorter the time, the better. 
Then the body must be enveloped in a warm Turkish 
towel, and the surface be rubbed all over briskly, and 



88 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

thoroughly dried. After this is done, some simple 
powder of unquestionably good quality may be ap- 
plied from head to foot. Loosely wrapped in flannel 
or a light blanket, it should remain before the fire 
until thoroughly warmed and rested, and finally be 
dressed. If a child seems to fear his bath, the expe- 
dient of Starr is recommended. The tub can be cov- 
ered over with a blanket, and the child being placed 
upon it, be slowly lowered into the water without 
seeing anything to excite his fears. 

In the selection of toilet powder, mothers should 
use great care, and appreciate the possible danger 
from adulteration. Those who can afford to do so 
should purchase the best which can be procured from 
thoroughly reliable druggists. The low cost prepara- 
tions on sale are condemned in toto. The poor will 
find Fuller's earth, or finely powdered starch, a good 
substitute for the expensive powder. Corn flour is 
sometimes used, and answers the purpose well. The 
Lancet, in 1878, recorded a very sad case of arsenical 
poisoning, in which a child died at the age of ten days 
from the use of so-called violet-powder, containing 
more than one-third white arsenic. 

It is generally accepted that during the first year 
of life, after the child is nine or ten days old, it should 
be bathed every day. During the teething period, if 
it suffers much from that process, it may be neces- 



BATHING OF INFANTS. 89 

sary to employ hot baths occasionally ; and they add 
much to the comfort of the little one, reducing fever, 
subduing pain, and quieting restlessness. In very 
warm weather, if children suffer much from the heat, 
a bath at 90 during the hottest part of the day is 
more cooling and refreshing than one at a lower tem- 
perature. 

After the first year, the bath ought to be used every 
other day. As the child grows older, once in three 
days, especially in cold weather, will be quite often 
enough. The fact is recognized that older children 
habituated to warm baths are usually susceptible to 
taking cold. It is important, therefore, after they 
have reached the third year, that the temperature of 
the bath be steadily, though very gradually, reduced ; 
but the best authorities agree it should not, even for 
the most robust children of eight or ten years, be 
below 78 . This rule applies to general bathing. 
Sponge baths of cooler water, but never below 6o°, 
may be given older children every morning, if robust 
and healthy ; they must be rapidly administered and 
followed by a brisk rubbing with a coarse towel, and 
exercise afterward encouraged. During the spong- 
ing, the child should stand in hot water of sufficient 
depth to cover the feet. 

Weak and sickly children, in the matter of bathing, 
must be treated with exceeding care. They require 



90 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



a much greater degree of warmth, and possibly warm 
baths alone will be admissible until they are eight or 
ten years old. If the effort is made to accustom 
them to cool sponge bathing, great caution must be 
used, and the effect as carefully watched. 

When the temperature of a bath is between 95 ° and 
ioo°, it is termed a hot bath. There are a variety of 
childish disorders in which it may be used w T ith good 
effect. To relieve the nervous irritability which is 
so often present during the teething period, it is, as 
has been previously said, notably effective. A child 
should not be allowed to remain in a hot bath longer 
than five minutes, or depression is liable to result. 
It is made more stimulating if mustard is added to 
the water used ; the quantity should be from a tea- 
spoonful to a tablespoonful. 

Occasionally, the cooled bath is ordered by physi- 
cians, and it is well for mothers to know how they 
are given. It is employed with advantage in some 
diseases characterized by intensely high fever. The 
patient is first put into the tub, the water of which is 
95 ; the temperature of this is then gradually lowered 
to 70 , cold. water being slowly added, and from 20 to 
30 minutes being occupied in the cooling process. 

It has been insisted upon that not only should a 
child be frequently bathed, but all its surroundings 
should be kept scrupulously clean. The regard for 



BATHING OF INFANTS, gj 

perfect cleanliness applies to the mother or wet-nurse 
as well as to the child. The one from whom the 
young infant receives its nourishment ought to main- 
tain perfect cleanliness of her body, as it is an abso- 
lute essential to health ; and unless she bathes suffU 
ciently often, her milk becomes unwholesome. 

There are some mothers who refrain from general 
bathing while nursing their infants, through fear of 
lessening the quantity of their milk ; there are 
others among the lower classes who are remarkable 
for their want of cleanliness at all times. Under 
the restrictions which should govern them at other 
periods, the mother or wet-nurse may bathe fre- 
quently, and without fear of injury to herself or the 
child. Even sea-bathing may be occasionally indulged 
in, if confined to a mere "dip," and followed by a 
hand rubbing to restore circulation and promote im- 
mediate reaction. 

Of the greatest importance is absolute cleanliness 
of the breasts ; in attempting to encourage it, the 
physician often encounters another of the delusions 
which possess so many mothers. During the first 
few weeks, they consider it dangerous to apply water 
to the breasts, and feel that if they do so, abscesses 
will surely form there. This is as stupid a notion 
as it is possible for them to acquire. Every time a 
child nurses, the mother should bathe her breasts 



q 2 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

immediately afterwards with lukewarm water ; and 
several times during the course of each day she ought 
to wash them carefully with soap and water. If this 
is not done, there is danger to the child, for it is well- 
known that uncleanliness in those parts invites the 
formation of myriads of living parasites which render 
the milk unwholesome. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 

Clothing and sleep. — The mother's province invaded. — The 
binder. — It should be worn during the first year. — Under- 
clothing. — The proper material. — Essentials in children's 
clothing. — Night-dress. — Covering of the feet. — Of the head. 

— Dangers from exposure. — Precautions when out of doors. — 
Common faults to be avoided. — Overburdening with clothing. 

— Sleep. — Good habits to encourage. — The amount of sleep 
required during childhood. 

^YNLY a few suggestions will be made regard- 
s' ing the clothing of infants. Mothers, as a 
rule, are inclined to resent any professional interfer- 
ence in this matter, which they evidently consider is 
absolutely within their own province. The subject 
is, however, one of infinite importance, and, since it 
is known from experience that errors are committed 
by some mothers, at least a few hints on the baby's 
garments will be ventured. 

One common fault to criticise is in the making 
of the binder which is applied after birth. Many 
mothers hem them, and, as a consequence, the. 
ridges are uncomfortable, and sometimes irritate the 
baby's tender skin. The edges should be raw, or 
simply "overcast" with silk. Again, the binder 



94 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN, 



should be carefully proportioned to the little one's 
size. If too wide, and it comes up on the ribs, the 
respiration will be interfered with ; and if too narrow, 
then it is worthless. Some mothers draw it too 
tightly, and, after the child has been fed, and his 
stomach is distended, he, of course, suffers much 
discomfort. This essential piece of clothing is fre- 
quently left off after the child has reached the fourth 
or fifth month, it being deemed by incautious mothers 
no longer needed. It should be worn until after the 
little one is a year old. 

The articles of clothing worn by an infant should 
be as few in number as possible ; they should be 
loose fitting and easy of adjustment. At an early 
age, it requires much warmth ; this mothers realize, 
and very often go to the other extreme, and bundle 
their little ones altogether too much. The underwear 
should be of woollen material, both in winter and in 
summer, the thickness varying with the season. 
The rule of discarding the undervest worn during the 
day, and having one for night wear alone, must not 
be forgotten, as it is of great importance in the pres- 
ervation of health. 

- If the underclothing is of the character advised, 
the outer clothing, provided it is loosely fitting, may 
be left to fashion and the taste of the mother. 

One thing about dressing a child is to be remem- 



CLOTHING AND SLEEP. 



95 



bered : Every article of clothing should be so made 
that it will be easy of adjustment. Tugging at the 
arms of an infant not only causes much pain, but it 
is liable to do actual injury to the delicate joints. 

To insure protection against a possible chill at 
night, the baby's night-dress for winter should be 
made of flannel, with a long skirt, and a drawing- 
string at the bottom. Then if he kicks off the bed- 
clothing, as he is most certainly apt to do, there will 
be much less danger from the exposure. Care must 
be taken to keep his feet warm both day and night, 
therefore woollen socks ought to be constantly worn, 
at least in cold weather. 

The covering which is proper for the head of a 
child when out doors, as one writer has said, must 
evidently vary considerably in different seasons, and 
in different states of the weather. Many a young 
child, with scanty growth of hair, has contracted 
that painful disease, inflammation of the ear, fol- 
lowed perhaps by a protracted discharge, and more 
or less impairment of hearing, in consequence of 
taking cold from insufficient covering of the head 
and ears in inclement and changeable weather ; even 
leaving off accidentally a band or tie to which a child 
is accustomed will sometimes give it a cold. In 
winter, the cap should be quite thick and close fit- 
ting, while in summer, it ought to be light and cool, 



9 6 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



and ample protection against the fierce rays of the 
sun. 

It would appear that mothers too often consider 
children's cloaks more for ornament than for protec- 
tion against cold. Instead of being wrapped around 
the little ones while they are being carried about, not 
infrequently, in severely cold weather, one sees a 
child supported by the arm of the mother passed 
beneath the cloak to avoid crumpling it. Hanging 
in this w r ay, it is much less- protection against cold, 
and at the same time the whole weight of the gar- 
ment drags on the baby's neck. To add to the 
discomfort, usually the cloak is tied tightly about the 
same, half strangling the little one. 

Mothers are not, as a rule, likely to allow their 
children to suffer from the cold; they by far more 
often overburden them with clothing, a practice 
which is scarcely less pernicious. An infant swelter- 
ing under too heavy clothing, as a consequence is not 
only rendered exceedingly uncomfortable, but it is 
much weakened, and becomes far more sensitive to 
cold. For one so ill-treated, even slight exposure is 
sufficient to induce a serious catarrhal, febrile, or 
bowel affection. How to avoid the two extremes 
must be a matter of study for mothers, and it is 
impossible to exaggerate the importance of it. They 
must not forget that, like themselves, their infants 



CLOTHING AND SLEEP. 



97 



feel the coming of summer, and during that season 
are entitled to much lighter coverings. 

The subject of sleep may seem a very com- 
monplace one to discuss, and yet, if mothers were 
more familiar with it, it would be not only infinitely 
better for their little ones, but for themselves as 
well. Starr says one cannot too soon begin to 
form the good habit of regularity in sleeping-hours ; 
and, so far as circumstances will admit, the following 
rules may be enforced: From birth to the end of 
the sixth or eighth month, the infant must sleep 
from ii p.m. to 5 a.m., and as many hours during the 
day as nature demands, and the exigencies of feed- 
ing, washing and dressing will permit. From eight 
months to the end of two and a half years, a morning 
nap should be taken from 12 m. to 1.30 p.m., the 
child being undressed and put in bed. 

The night's rest must begin at 7 p.m. If a late 
meal be required, the child can be taken up at about 
10 o'clock; but if past the age for this, he may sleep 
undisturbed until he awakes of his own accord, some 
time between 6 and 8 a.m. From two and a half to 
four years, an hour's sleep may or may not be taken 
in the morning, according to the disposition of the 
subject ; but in every case, the bed must be occupied 
from 7.30 p.m. to 6 or 7 o'clock on the following 
morning. 



g8 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

After the fourth year, few children will sleep in 
the daytime ; they are ready for bed by 8 p.m., and 
should be allowed to sleep for ten hours or more. 
A later retiring hour than 9 p.m. ought not to be 
encouraged until after the 12th or 15 th year. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

Rest and sleep. — Rocking children a hurtful practice. — Impor- 
tant rules to be observed. — How to quiet the baby. — Sleep- 
lessness caused by cold.— An indication of illness. — Sleeping- 
medicines. — Dangers from their use. — Soothing syrup which 
has killed many. — Paregoric elixir. — Its effects. — When its 
use is permissible. — One occasion for a physician. — Chil- 
dren's sleeping-rooms. — The vital importance of pure air. 

IF a baby is laid down for the purpose, and it does 
not seem inclined to sleep, the first thing which 
the average mother does is to rock it. The remedy- 
is quite effective, but far from being a judicious one. 
Rocking induces sleep, but it is by causing an 
increased flow of blood to the brain, which, in child- 
hood, is exceedingly delicate and easily congested. 
Rocking-cradles are now but little used, and if 
fashion would also frown on rocking-chairs, it would 
be a blessing to infants. For mothers to rock or 
" hush " their children to sleep by gentle movements 
and soft sounds is a foolish habit, which, if once 
formed, is not easily broken. 

Quite naturally this statement will be protested by 
nearly all mothers, and not unlikely many will say 
that the writer's knowledge of the care of children 



IOO HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

must be limited; "that he will know more about them 
when he has a family of his own," etc. Therefore, in 
self-defence, he is obliged to quote the opinion of a 
lady physician on the subject; surely mothers will 
believe her : " If a child is from the first laid in its 
cot to sleep, without further attention, it will fall 
asleep just as readily and easily as with any amount 
of assistance ; but if once it is accustomed to expect 
attendance, it will be very unwilling to dispense with 
it, and if for any reason this is not forthcoming, 
the baby will cry and fret, and perhaps lose half its 
sleep. The mother or nurse will, therefore, do 
wisely not to create an artificial want, which, if 
created, will probably become a burdensome tax 
upon herself. " If a child will not sleep, the mother 
should take it in her arms and sing to it, or do any- 
thing else within reason, but to rock it is not only 
improper, but entirely unnecessary if the baby is 
treated rightly in its early life. 

One hint may be of assistance. When the little 
one is cold, it is very likely to be sleepless ; there- 
fore, when no other cause for its continued wakeful- 
ness is apparent, let the mother take it to the fire, 
the warmth of which will have a tendency to promote 
sleep. At this point it is well to emphasize the fact 
that if a child does not sleep as much as children of 
its age generally do, then there is good reason to 



REST AND SLEEP. IOI 

believe that it is not well, and the cause should be 
sought. If the mother cannot determine it, then the 
services of a physician are demanded. 

Under no condition is the mother justified in 
experimenting upon her infant with opiates, or in 
using any of the patent medicines which are so 
often administered to children. On this subject it is 
believed that the people generally show better sense 
than they did years ago, when, among a certain class, 
the advent of a baby in a home was signalized by the 
purchase of a bottle of soothing syrup. 

One nostrum, especially, which bears a most seduc- 
tive name, familiar to all, mothers once felt was 
absolutely indispensable in every nursery. This 
"soothing syrup" has, without doubt, assisted in 
sending thousands upon thousands of little ones to 
" sleep from which there is no awakening.'' The 
Medical Times and Gazette, in 1870, published an 
analysis of this pernicious preparation, showing that 
it owed its " soothing," or, what is better, its stupefy- 
ing properties, to absolute alcohol ; an agent which is 
as capable of injury as any of the narcotic poisons. 

If a child sleeps but little, and is fretful and 
troublesome, it is certainly ill ; and if a mother fails 
to recognize this fact, and is contented in the belief 
that it is simply naturally cross, she does her little 
one a grievous wrong, and the consequences of neg- 



102 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



lect to apply the proper treatment are likely to be 
very serious indeed. 

Patent medicines, of whatever nature, are abso- 
lutely forbidden children. If a quieting mixture is 
needed in the nursery, there is one only which is 
allowable, and that is paregoric. There are occasions 
when a mother is justified in giving this remedy, but 
continued wakefulness is not a symptom for which it 
should be used. Paregoric, or, properly, paregoric 
elixir, owes its action to camphor and opium. If a 
child is ill, as indicated by wakefulness, nervous irri- 
tability, crying, etc., a dose of paregoric is quite 
certain to relieve it for the time, and to produce 
sleep, but rarely will it have a permanent and cura- 
tive effect ; more often, as soon as the drug ceases to 
act the symptoms return, and the child suffers as 
before. In fact, in very many cases in which mothers 
give paregoric, that agent simply alleviates, without 
removing the cause ; and thus, by its continued use, 
serious diseases may be kept in concealment until 
recovery from them is impossible. 

If an infant suddenly becomes restless and wake- 
ful, and the methods which the mother usually 
employs do not quiet it, then, if she cannot deter- 
mine the cause and remove it, and she will not send 
for a physician, which is the safest course for her to 
pursue, let her immediately administer a dose of 



REST AND SLEEP. 



103 



paregoric. If, after the effect has passed off, the 
troublesome symptoms return, there is no longer any 
excuse for delay, and she is criminally negligent if 
she does not seek professional advice. 

The sleeping-rooms of children should be large, 
airy, and well ventilated ; without pure air in suffi- 
cient quantity it is absolutely impossible for them 
to be healthy and thrive generally. How few parents 
there are who realize this fact ; if all would do so, the 
mortality among children would be infinitely less. ~ 

On the subject of ventilation but little has been 
said, for it is utterly impossible for a writer to do 
justice to it in a work of this character, and to cor- 
rectly estimate the value of pure air. It is feared 
that people will continue to pack their little ones into 
sleeping-boxes scarcely fit for animals of the lowest 
order. Allot for the children's use the largest and 
most pleasantly situated room in the house, and, if 
the rooms at best are small, then no one at night 
should contain more than two children. 




CHAPTER XX. 

The sleeping-apartment. — Situation of the crib. — The amount 
of pure air needed by children. — Dangers from overheating 
during sleep. — That cooking-stove. — Sanitary requirements. 
— The furnishings. — Dangers from stationary basins. — 
Proper ventilation too often neglected. — How to secure it. — 
Bed-coverings. — Expedient to prevent children from throwing 
them off. — Death in foul air. — The nursery. — How it should 
be kept. — Vile practices which are common. 



TOURING early infant life the baby will, of course, 
*^- share the apartment of its parents. It should 
not, however, share the bed as well, but always sleep 
in a crib, which can be placed near at hand. It is 
important that at all times the little one be kept out 
of currents of air, and his crib must not be placed 
between a window and door. When the child be- 
comes older and is assigned to an apartment away 
from its parents, they should study well the question 
of ventilation, remembering that fully two-thirds as 
much pure air is required by the child as by the 
mother. 

In some homes, different rooms are used for the day 
nursery and the sleeping-apartments. This is an 
admirable provision, for then one can be thoroughly 



THE SLEEPING-APARTMENT IQ 5 

aired while the other is occupied. In the homes of 
the poor, forced to be content with a few small rooms, 
the problem how to care for their children properly 
is an exceedingly difficult one to solve. Above all 
things else, let them keep them out of the kitchen and 
away from the cooking-stove during the day, and if 
they must be put into small bedrooms at night, the 
windows should be opened sufficiently to insure purity 
of the air within. 

The sanitary condition of a child's sleeping-room 
should be as near perfect as it is possible to make it. 
It must be so situated that the direct rays of the sun 
can enter for a certain period each day. Its internal 
arrangements should be of the simplest character con- 
sistent with convenience. As little furniture as pos- 
sible should be the rule, and comparatively bare walls 
and floors are far healthier than when adorned with 
pictures and covered with carpets. A stationary 
basin, draining into the sewer, is positively forbidden, 
notwithstanding the most approved system of plumb- 
ing ; nor should the sleeping-room connect with the 
bathroom. In fact, not only should every precaution 
be taken against the entrance of unhealthy gases and 
odors from without, but nothing should be allowed to 
remain within the room which in the slightest degree 
renders the air impure. 

One of the greatest difficulties which physicians 



io 6 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

encounter is to secure for their patients proper venti- 
lation, and when the need of pure air for their chil- 
dren is urged upon mothers, they will very likely 
allow the window to remain open while the doctor is 
present, but are quite certain to close it before he 
reaches the street. It is not too much to say that, 
excepting when a child is being bathed, the windows 
of the nursery should never be entirely closed ; even 
in the most inclement weather one may be kept open 
a trifle at least. 

During cold weather, if a room becomes too warm, 
the first thing people generally do is to shut off or 
lessen the supply of heat ; rarely does it occur to them 
that it would be far better if they lowered the tem- 
perature by opening a window. If the room where 
a child sleeps is small, and there is danger from 
draughts if a window is left open during the night, 
then it must, of course, be kept closed, but in the 
room adjoining a window should be open sufficiently 
to properly ventilate both apartments. 

The natural tendency of children to toss off their 
bedclothes at night so alarms mothers that they can 
scarcely be persuaded to admit air into the sleeping- 
room as they ought. This danger can be largely 
removed by having tapes attached to one or more 
blankets ; by this means they can be tied to the sides 
of the crib or cot, and cannot be wholly thrown off by 
the movements of the sleeper. 



THE SLEEPING-APARTMENT. 



I07 



Again is the importance of pure air in the rooms 
allotted to children strongly urged upon parents, and 
no language can be too emphatic, for in ill-ventilated 
apartments the little ones languish, become pale, 
feeble, and sickly. Their constitutions are so under- 
mined, poisoned by stagnant and impure air, perfect 
development is absolutely impossible, and the diseases 
common to childhood find them ready victims, death 
occurring, not because those diseases are in them- 
selves so fatal, but because the children attacked have 
not the strength to rally and throw them off. Per- 
fect ventilation and strict cleanliness go hand in hand. 
Without the latter, it is utterly impossible to keep the 
air of a room pure. 

There are but few parents, no matter how poor, 
who cannot set apart one room, at least, for their 
little children, and dignify it with the name of nur- 
sery. This should be kept scrupulously clean ; the 
floors should be uncarpeted, but covered by small 
mats, which can be shaken and well aired every day. 
Nothing damp or ill-smelling should be suffered to 
remain in it for a moment, and especially is that 
custom of drying in the room with a child napkins 
which have been rendered offensive, condemned as 
simply barbarous. In fact, when once dampened by 
the child, there is no place where they should be dried 
until they are first washed. Intelligent mothers will 



I0 8 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

doubtless think this statement unnecessary, believing 
that none are vile enough to put napkins, which have 
been wet, in use the second time without first wash- 
ing them. If these critics could accompany a physi- 
cian on his visits for one day only, they would see for 
themselves that all mothers are by no means the per- 
sonification of neatness. 

A w r ord regarding the bed-clothing of children. 
Feather beds are even more unhealthy for them to 
sleep upon than they are for adults, for at no period 
of life are emanations such as are given off by these 
abominable contrivances more injurious than during 
the feeble and susceptible age of childhood. On a 
good firm mattress of the best quality the parents can 
afford, their child should sleep. 

Besides the linen or cotton sheeting, let the cover- 
ings be blankets only. A cotton " comfortable " is a 
companion nuisance, and should be banished with the 
feather bed. It is too heavy ; it weakens and renders 
the sleeper restless, and the little one shows by far 
better sense by kicking off such a covering than the 
parents do who put it over him. 




CHAPTER XXI. 

Heating and lighting. — Serious consequences of excessive heat. 
— Susceptibility to cold. — How it is invited. — The proper 
temperature. — Danger lurks during the teething period. — 
Peculiar liability to brain disease. — Keep children out of 
the kitchen. — Incautious mothers and sad results. — Burned 
to death. — Lighting the nursery. — Objections to the common 
methods. — Hints on the use of oil and gas. — • Electric light. 

TN the management of young children, of the 
■*■ greatest importance is a proper regulation of the 
temperature of the rooms occupied by them. There 
is no disputing the fact that, as a rule, they are kept 
much too warm, and serious consequences invariably 
result if this fault is persisted in. Nothing, says 
Eberle, tends more directly to enfeeble and relax the 
human body, and to predispose it to the injurious 
influence of cold and atmospheric vicissitudes, than 
habitual confinement in heated rooms. Struve, like 
all other writers, emphasizes this danger. Warm 
rooms, he says, in my opinion, principally contribute 
to the extraordinary mortality of children who are 
carried off by convulsions in the first months of their 
lives. As they daily become weaker from the con- 
stant action of heat, everv draught of air occasioned 

7 J o 



HO HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

by opening the windows and doors is dangerous to 
their organs. It is an established fact that in the 
proportion as we habituate ourselves to warm dress 
and heated apartments, so do we render the body 
more liable to be injured by exposing it to the in- 
fluence of fresh and cold air. 

Mothers of children who are peculiarly susceptible 
to cold, and are constantly suffering from coughs 
and catarrhal affections, should understand that the 
remedy is with them. By far too often they fail to 
appreciate this fact, and dose their little ones with 
medicines, when all that is needed is the application 
of a little common sense. Let them provide for 
their children sufficient pure air, and accustom them 
while in the house to a temperature between 66° and 
70 , never higher than the latter in the winter, and 
they will no longer have reason to complain that the 
little ones are "constantly catching cold." 

Confinement in overheated rooms has a destruc- 
tive influence at all periods of life ; it is even greater 
during childhood, and the danger from it is intensi- 
fied in the teething period. At that time there is 
naturally an increased flow of blood to the brain, and 
infants, as all know, are then more irritable, and are 
especially liable to be attacked with inflammatory 
affections. The brain, so delicate and susceptible to 
injury during childhood, is, while an infant is cut- 



HEATING AND LIGHTING. m 

ting its teeth, peculiarly liable to disease : hence 
the need of even greater caution in its management, 
and a careful protection from excessive heat, which 
certainly conduces to congestion of that very vital 
organ. It is also imperative that, during that trying 
period, the infant be protected from all other influ- 
ences which tend to increase in any way the irrita- 
bility of the system, then susceptible tq an unusual 
degree. 

The imperative need of allotting one room, at least, 
to the use of very young children, has been insisted 
upon. There is a danger which threatens little ones 
who are permitted by incautious mothers to be in 
the room where cooking, washing, etc., is going on, 
which has not been referred to, and yet, slight as it 
may appear, it deserves special mention. It is the 
danger from burns and scalds. Serious accidents of 
this character are constantly occurring to children, 
and deaths from them are not infrequent. There are 
but few physicians who cannot tell of cases where 
young children have fallen into tubs or kettles of 
hot water, and suffered terribly or died in conse- 
quence. 

A sad case recently occurred in Boston, the facts 
of which reached the writer through the attending 
physician, A child was playing in the room where 
cooking was going on, the special work being the 



II2 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

making of squash pies. A quantity of squash had 
been boiled in a large kettle, and removed from the 
stove and placed on the bricks in front of the same. 
A little child playing about the room stood for a 
moment in front of the kettle, back to it, and then, 
undertaking to step back without looking, sat down 
in the boiling mass, which every housekeeper knows 
is as hot a mixture as can be made. As might be 
expected, death resulted in a few hours. Accidents 
similar to this are not so uncommon as many might 
suppose, and that they do occur, justifies the writer 
in calling the attention of mothers to the possible 
dangers. 

The lighting of a nursery is a point which may 
not improperly be touched upon. At this period, 
gas or kerosene oil is the means employed in nearly 
all houses ; there are serious objections to both. 
Gas vitiates the air of a room very rapidly, and more 
than twice as much oxygen is consumed by one gas- 
burner as by a human being. Kerosene oil is objec- 
tionable by reason of the odor which is given off 
from lamps in which it is used, unless the same 
are kept absolutely clean. If turned low, they ab- 
solutely poison the air, and are a potent cause 
of catarrhal affections of the nasal passages and 
throat. 

Instead of either gas or oil, it would be better to 



HEATING AND LIGHTING. 



113 



use candles for lighting the rooms occupied by chil- 
dren. There is one custom among those who use 
gas, which is unsafe, especially in sleeping-rooms. 
That of turning the burner very low is referred to. 
The light may be put out by a change in pressure 
at the source of supply, and thus allow a leakage of 
gas, which is always very dangerous. 

If the time ever comes, says one writer, when the 
electric light is a familiar luxury, it will probably be 
found particularly suitable for nurseries, as it does 
not consume the air as gas does, and is even said to 
have a beneficent effect, second only to that of sun- 
light, as regards vegetation, and, therefore, possibly 
also as regards human life. 




CHAPTER XXII. 

Open air exercise. — Elderly mothers contrasted with those of 
the present day. — Health depends upon an abundance of pure 
air. — When to take the baby out. — Accustom him to sudden 
changes. — An important duty often neglected. — Out every 
day if possible. — Protected from cold. — From the sun. — 
Veils forbidden. — Baby carriages. ■ — Their use and abuses. — 
Spinal weakness. — Lasting injury the consequence of neglect. 
— Important rule. 

IV TOT a few mothers have a traditional system of 
■^ ^ caring for their children, which was practised 
by their mothers and grandmothers before them, and 
so great is the force of antiquity, by no amount of 
argument can they be convinced when in error, and 
hence are transmitted ideas on management quite as 
irrational as the results of the crudest inexperience. 
In this connection it is interesting to note, on the 
authority of "M'Culloch's Statistics of the British 
Empire," that in the twenty years, from 1730 to 
1750, the total deaths under five years of age amounted 
to more than seventy-four per cent of the total births 
during the same period. Dr. Michael Underhill also 
states that during ten years in the last century "the 
average births within the bills of mortality was 16,283, 



OPEN AIR EXERCISE. 



us 



out of which were buried under five years of age 
10,145/' or about sixty-two per cent. Thus it ap- 
pears that even the present extraordinary mortality 
is considerably less than it was one hundred years 
ago. The natural inference is that mothers of this 
age are wiser in the management of children than 
were those whom they so often quote as authorities 
not to be disputed. 

It is believed to have been the fashion in old days 
to imprison a baby in the nursery for a much longer 
time after birth than is now done. Starr sets the 
age when children may be first taken out of doors as 
four months for those born in the early fall and win- 
ter, and one month for those born in the summer. 
Many other equally as reliable authorities agree with 
him on this point ; and yet some physicians allow 
healthy children in the mildest season to be taken 
out on the second or third day of their existence if 
the weather is fine, and they claim that no harm, in 
their experience, has resulted from such a practice. 
Considering the conflict of opinion, it would be well 
to keep a child at least two weeks in the house, even 
if the season is mild and the weather pleasant, and 
then, when taken out, they should be gradually accus- 
tomed to the change. 

When babies have arrived at the proper age they 
should be taken into the open air at least once a day, 



H6 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

if the weather permits. In the cool months, about 
noon is the best time for the airing, it being the 
warmest part of the day ; while in the hottest part of 
summer the morning should be chosen. The safest 
course to pursue is to gradually prepare a child for 
its first visit to the outer air in this way : Two w r eeks 
before it is taken out, the mother should frequently 
carry it out of the room which it usually occupies, 
into others slightly cooler, gradually lowering the 
temperature of the latter day after day by opening 
the windows, until it is a near approach to that of 
the open air. By this means the little one will be- 
come accustomed to sudden changes, and will be 
much less liable to take cold when it enters for the 
first time the external air. Five, or at least ten min- 
utes, will be sufficient for its first outing, but the 
duration of his stay out of doors should be gradually 
extended as he grows older. 

Mothers must understand that upon the daily 
enjoyment of fresh and open air depends in a great 
degree the health of their little ones ; it is, in fact, 
absolutely indispensable to their well-being. Too 
many mothers by far fail in this important duty. 
Because they have so many and such burdensome 
domestic cares, they feel that they cannot spare the 
time to take their little ones out every pleasant day. 
With this excuse they satisfy their conscience, and 



OPEN AIR EXERCISE. Yl y 

feel that they cannot be held responsible for the 
omission. 

Many mothers are, it is true, overwhelmed with the 
burdens of life ; still, in the care of children, they 
assume the gravest responsibilities ; they should do 
what they know to be right by them, and if forced 
to neglect some of their duties, let the weight of 
omission fall, not on innocent children, but upon 
those who are better able to bear it. When the 
weather permits, therefore, they must see that their 
infants are taken out into the open air once a day, at 
least, at first, and after a few weeks twice daily will 
be none too often. 

In cold weather, of course, an infant should be 
amply protected by sufficient clothing. The outer 
covering should, like the inner clothing, be of light 
weight, and must not be too tight at the neck. In- 
stead of cloaks for winter wear, it would be far more 
sensible if fashion would frown on them, and favor 
soft warm shawls. Protection for the eyes is de- 
manded, for in early infancy they are singularly liable 
to be affected by the glare of the sun. Veils or other 
coverings for the face are, however, forbidden, as 
they deprive the little one of pure air. The mother 
must, therefore, use a parasol or some other means 
to shield it. 

The subject of "baby carriages " is one which may 



H8 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

not improperly be touched upon, for they are of value ; 
and yet they can be made a source of injury to those 
by whom they are used. They are a benevolent 
invention for the none too strong and hard-worked 
mother, who would soon be exhausted by the weight 
of her child. Before considering the abuses to which 
these carriages are sometimes put, it is necessary to 
consider one important fact bearing upon the subject. 
The spine and muscles of an infant require time to 
mature, and seldom do they acquire sufficient strength 
to allow it to sit upright, without risk of injury, before 
the third or fourth month. Until this period is 
reached, an infant should be kept nearly all the time 
in a reclining position, and when suffered to sit with 
its body erect, the head and trunk should be properly 
supported. Therefore, if a young infant is given its 
airing in a carriage, it must lie extended in the same, 
and this rule should be observed until it is ten or 
twelve months old. 




CHAPTER XXIII. 



Holding the baby. — Common faults. — How the happiness of 
home is threatened. — Grievous mismanagement characterize 
many mothers. — An infant may prove a misfortune. — Who 
is to blame. — A picture true to life. — Keep infants in their 
cribs. — An idiotic practice. — Trotting on the knee. — Creep- 
ing. — Walking. — Let a child mature gradually. — Moral in- 
firmities to be anticipated. — Teach it to be fearless and self- 
reliant. 

* A T this point it is well to say that quite a natu- 
■**- ral fault, and one exceedingly common, is for 
mothers to hold their infants altogether too much. 
By so doing they inconvenience themselves and in- 
jure their little ones. Very many mothers say that 
"it takes about all their time to attend to the baby." 
In almost all instances where this is true it is their 
own fault. When once the bad habit is formed of 
taking the little one up as soon as it shows signs of 
waking, is restless, or disposed to cry, the mother is 
henceforth a slave to its caprices, and no tyrant can 
be more exacting. This is by no means a trifling 
matter. Into every home, however poor and humble, 
a baby should bring the sunshine of happiness ; but 
does it always do this ? It is doubtful if a single 



120 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

parent can be found to say no ; and yet there are not 
a few who would, if they gave honest expression to 
their thoughts, say that the coming of the little one 
was a misfortune. The reason is obvious to the stu- 
dents of human nature, who are influenced by what 
they see, as well as by what they hear, and doubt 
the latter in the absence of proof. 

If healthy, and a baby is properly managed from 
the first, it ought, in its early months of life, pass 
fully eighteen hours in sleep. As age advances, the 
amount required becomes less, but even at two years, 
it ought to sleep thirteen or fourteen hours out of 
the twenty-four. There are more children who do 
not get this amount of sleep than there are who do, 
and yet it is essential to their well-being. Now it 
is clearly apparent that mothers who are forced " to 
do their own work" need not sacrifice so much time 
to their infants as many do, and neglect other impor- 
tant cares ; it is when they do neglect their other 
duties that distrust as to the actual blessing in the 
form of the baby begins. 

There are, of course, exceptions, but in too many 
homes evidence is not wanting that the advent of a 
baby is more or less of a hardship, which is shared by 
every member of the family. The mother, poor soul, 
finds her cares multiplied ; and if the new comer is 
troublesome, she may be forced — if not, she soon finds 



HOLDING THE BABY. 12 \ 

it easy — to neglect, or but imperfectly perform, her 
household duties. Disorder is most often the first 
symptom manifested ; and this is soon followed by a 
lack of cleanliness, first in the mother's appearance, 
then in her surroundings, and finally the little one 
suffers from this grave fault. The husband finds his 
home less inviting, and the cheering influence of the 
baby can scarcely compensate for the doleful change 
which has taken place about him. Both he and the 
mother, unfortunate through her own fault of man- 
agement, must soon ask themselves, neither daring, 
however, to breathe a doubt to the other, "Was it, 
after all, for the best ? " Many readers will say that 
it is drawn from the fancy of the writer, and yet not 
a few will recognize the picture as true to life, barely 
outlined though it is. Since the subject has been 
introduced it may be followed a step further. 

If a mother once falls into the habit of neglect- 
ing herself or her household duties, be it through 
fault of her own or from force of circumstances, it 
will cling to her through life, and embitter, not 
only her whole future, but also the future of her 
family. One might naturally ask what bearing this 
has upon the management of children ; it has a most 
important bearing, for many a well-meaning mother 
has acquired those fatal faults, neglect, uncleanliness, 
and kindred disorders of conduct, with her first child. 



I2 2 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

Therefore there is something beyond the welfare of 
children, of infinite importance though it is, which 
must be considered : it is the well-being and happi- 
ness of their parents as well. 

When maternal cares are assumed, not only should 
the responsibilities be appreciated, but of scarcely 
less importance is it that the mothers know of the 
pitfalls into which it is possible for them to stumble. 
Let young mothers, therefore, assume their duties 
trained or prepared for the work which is before 
them ; and they should see to it, or those who hold 
their welfare "near at heart" should see to it, that 
they are wisely taught. 

No more wholesome advice can be given mothers 
than this, — hold your infants in your arms just as 
little as possible. In the intervals between feeding, 
washing, dressing, and outings, let them remain in 
their cribs as much as possible, until they are old 
enough to creep, which will be, for a healthy child, 
after the age of nine or ten months. 

There is one " idiotic practice " which one sees 
indulged in often enough to make it necessary to 
caution mothers against it. The habit of tossing 
young babies is referred to. It would seem that no 
sensible person would jeopardize a baby in this way; 
but many do, while yet the spine and muscles are 
weak and imperfectly developed. Deaths have been 



HOLDING THE BABY. 



123 



recorded from this lumbering effort at play, concus- 
sion of the spinal cord occurring. 

There is another habit, by no means uncommon, 
which is nearly, if not quite, as pernicious : it is 
that of "trotting the children on the knee." Not 
only does it endanger the spine of an infant, but it is 
likely to disorder important internal organs. All 
these bad habits are easily formed ; unfortunately, 
one is naturally inclined to fall into them, doubtless 
from communication, as they are quite too common. 
Therefore, the advice is repeated for the purpose of 
emphasis : Do not take your baby up until you are 
obliged to, and then return it to the crib as soon as 
possible. 

When a child reaches the ninth or tenth month, 
if healthy, it will begin to creep about, and two or 
three months later will make efforts to stand. It is 
at this age that parents frequently err by encouraging 
the little one to walk before its muscles are strong 
enough to sustain the weight of the body. If left to 
themselves to develop properly, children, as a rule, 
will not be able to walk before they are sixteen 
months old, and many cannot do so before the twen- 
tieth month. They vary much in this respect, and, 
if a child seems backward in walking, it should not 
be urged to make the attempt, at least not until it is 
nearly two years old. 



124 



HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 



After a child is able to walk, care must be taken at 
first that too much of this exercise is not encouraged. 
In fact, let nature develop the little one, and leave 
him to follow her promptings. When the weather 
permits, he should be taken out each day, and, if a 
grass plot can be found, there let him run and tumble 
about as he pleases. 

At this stage in life it is not too early to begin to 
cultivate in children a reliance on self, and to inspire 
them with courage and spirit, which is sadly wanting 
in the young of this effeminate age. Babyhood is too 
often perpetuated. By oft-repeated lessons of caution, 
children become timid, helpless, and irresolute. Fond 
mothers lavish upon them the most extravagant ex- 
pressions of sympathy for every little fall, trifling 
injury, and even disappointment, and the consequence 
is, they generally cry upon the slightest provocation, 
and continue that by no means pleasing demonstra- 
tion until soothed by plaintive words and superlative 
commiseration. All this tends to effectually make 
children effeminate, timid, and spiritless ; thus, by 
grievous mismanagement, they are endowed with 
moral infirmities which must prejudice their whole 
futures; and measurably impair their usefulness. 




CHAPTER XXIV. 

The education of mothers. — Facts repeated for the sake of 
emphasis. — The terrible waste of life. — Its preventable 
causes. — Ignorance and neglect in all classes. — Some mothers 
and their opportunities. — To bring up children properly is 
difficult. — Easily acquired prejudices. — Elderly advisers much 
to answer for. — Overworked mothers. — Penalty of poverty. — 
The duty which is demanded of all. 

TS any apology for prolonging this subject needed, 
-*■ in view of the fact that nearly one-half the popu- 
lation die under the age of five years ? Not only is 
this true of large cities, but the enormous waste of 
life in every community is simply appalling to those 
who realize that the greater part of it might be pre- 
vented, for the most potent causes of this terrible 
mortality are ignorance and neglect. There is not a 
physician who has been long in practice who cannot 
testify to the truth of this statement ; and they will 
also tell you that ignorance of children's natures and 
needs, and neglect to properly care for them, are by 
no means confined to the lower classes, although it is 
there that they are the most often found. 

Among the higher classes there can be no excuse 
offered for these grievous, and too frequently fatal, 



I2 6 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

faults. Well-to-do mothers have opportunities for 
study ; their physicians are ever ready to assist them 
to a better understanding of the laws of health and 
all which pertains to the care and management of 
children, and yet they do not always profit by such 
teachings. In the first place, not a few consider 
that physicians are altogether too exacting in their 
requirements; and this stupid assumption is the 
offspring of ignorance of children's needs. 

It is believed that mothers in general feel that to 
bring up children properly is not difficult ; certain it 
is that but few recognize the grave responsibilities 
which devolve upon them when maternal cares are 
assumed. Again, young mothers are generally the 
pupils of those who have had experience, and it is not 
too much to say that such courses of instruction are 
oftentimes exceedingly faulty. In this way, many 
prejudices are acquired, which no amount of argu- 
ment ever eradicates in after life. 

Not a few elderly mothers and nurses consider it 
one of their first duties to urge upon those whom 
they would teach, that " doctors don't know every- 
thing " ; this is a modest way of theirs of assuming 
an eminent superiority. They very generally suc- 
ceed in their purpose, and implant in the mind of the 
young mother a distrust of physicians, from which 
she never afterward entirely recovers. 



THE EDUCATION OF MOTHERS. 



127 



The assertion is seemingly an unkind one, and yet 
truth sustains it ; conceit and ignorance are too often 
blended in the composition of some mothers, and 
where they exist together the latter can never be 
overcome. Why these mothers will insist upon 
adopting an independent course of action in caring 
for their children, and meet with opposition the well- 
meant and valuable advice of their physician, is a 
problem unsolvable. The solution is made even 
more difficult when the fact is considered that if 
these same mothers become ill, they are the most 
obedient of patients. 

Among the lower classes, there is some excuse for 
the ignorance and neglect which characterizes many 
mothers. Not a few are overwhelmed with heavy 
burdens ; the increasing demands of domestic cares 
upon them tax every energy, and they are rendered 
spiritless and neglectful. Only when danger is 
imminent do they feel justified in calling a physician, 
for he must be paid, and to meet this obligation even 
greater economy, which they can ill bear, must be 
practised for days, and, possibly, for weeks after. 
Rarely, therefore, can they appeal to him for instruc- 
tion, and they are guided by the crude experience 
which they may have acquired, or depend upon 
others for advice, whose ideas in the management of 
children are often quite as irrational and as danger- 



I2 8 HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. 

ous as their own. Those mothers are not lacking in 
affection for their little ones ; they want to do their 
duty by them, and, unfortunately, too many feel that 
to provide them with food, keep them clothed, and to 
nurse them when ill, is about all that can be expected 
of them. 

Whatever the causes of ignorance and neglect, the 
fact remains undeniable that two-thirds of the cases 
of illness among young children might be pre- 
vented by proper management. The mortality dur- 
ing infancy and childhood ought to be less than at 
any other period of life. 



